


While Our Blood's Still Young

by midnights



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Dementors (Harry Potter) - Freeform, Divination, Drama, Feelings, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gryffindor, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Express, Hogwarts First Year, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Honeydukes, Hufflepuff, Jealousy, Love, M/M, Quidditch, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Sneaking Out, Unrequited Love, Zayn is head boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-23 19:48:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1577375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnights/pseuds/midnights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis tries to pretend he doesn't love Harry, Zayn’s hair turns purple sometimes, Harry is determined to pass potions with an above average grade, Niall's still trying to find the right girl, Liam wants to win the quidditch cup, and the five of them just want to finish their last year at Hogwarts with ease.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! So I'm going to use the headcanon that the Head Boy and Girl get their own common room, because I really liked the idea and I think it's canon anyway. I wanted to make Zayn and Perrie Metamorphmagi, which means they can change their appearances at will, cause I always liked the idea of changing your hair and stuff whenever you wanted. Anything else you're confused about can be found [here](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page) , or you can ask me on [tumblr](http://ravenclawmalik.tumblr.com/) . This chapter (and other chapters) contain opinions on Nick Grimshaw that I personally don't share, it's just that Louis thinks that way. 
> 
> *title is from the temper trap's 'sweet disposition'
> 
> At first I was going to make it a lot like the books, with an action-filled plot and lots of exciting parts, but I editied to make it an angsty love story instead. Well, that's what it was before, but with less action and such.
> 
> Enjoy!!!!! xx
> 
> A/N: This fic is not finished, and as of right now (2/25/16), I have no plans to finish it. I'm sorry!!!

"Mum, I'll be fine, and I'll write if I need you, okay? I have Callida now, it'll be easy." Louis sticks his head out of the open door of the Hogwarts Express, sighing exasperatedly as his mother frets about her own loneliness.

Johannah considers this. "Alright, but I didn't get you that owl for nothing, _write_ to me, Louis!" She calls. All around him, students, parents, and their siblings are saying goodbye, their pets and trunks in their hands. From where he's standing in the door to the train, Louis can see quite a few toads clutched in the hands of kids, many, many owls in cages, and several cats.

"Yes, Mum. I love you!" He calls.

His mum smiles sadly. "I love you too, baby." She waves him off.

Louis swallows back the lump in his throat at the thought of not seeing his mum for nine whole months sets in. At eleven years old, though, Louis knows he can take care of himself. He's a big boy. He starts down the corridor, ignoring the fact that he's got no friends to talk to whatsoever. Opening the first empty compartment he finds, Louis settles in the corner next to the window.

It's not eleven yet, only a few minutes until then, but the Hogwarts Express never leaves a minute earlier or later than said time. Louis has never been on the train before, never even seen it before just now, he's only heard countless tales from his mum of the mischief she'd get up to when she was a student. Jay was a Gryffindor in her day, and Louis is certain he'll be one, too.

Growing up in a wizarding family, Louis knows almost everything there is to know about the houses. His mum wouldn't tell him everything he'd get to do at school, though, as she wanted it to be a surprise. On his own, Louis had figured out that Hogwarts was an enormous castle, with towers and turrets and staircases that changed whenever they wanted to.

Louis still has his letter tucked into the pocket of his jacket, and his robes are in the small bag he's carried with him. He knows he'll have to change soon, but for now, he'll settle for dozing off; it's been a long, stressful morning, and he's tired.

He's interrupted, though, when the doors of his compartment are thrusted open. Louis's eyes snap open, and he sees a tall boy with dark, curly hair and bottle green eyes. He smiles at Louis, and two big dimples pop into his cheeks. He's already dressed in his robes, which, seeing as he's not been sorted into a house yet, bears the Hogwarts crest upon the breast.

Louis's first thought upon seeing this boy is that he's very pretty.

His second thought is to wonder what he wants.

The boy trips on his way inside the compartment, and laughs.

"Oops." He giggles.

"Hi," Louis says sheepishly.

"D'you mind if I join you? Everywhere else is full, and Gem - my sister won't let me sit with her and her friends." The boy asks.

"Uh, sure, go ahead." Louis nods, and the boy smiles even bigger and sits across from him. He's got a bag with his things in it, too.

"I'm Harry - not Potter, either. Styles. What's your name?" He grins, and Louis almost giggles at how quick he was to clear up his relation with the famous Harry Potter.

"Louis Tomlinson. Er, nice to meet you, Harry Not-Potter." Louis smirks, and Harry laughs. Louis hears a tiny mewl, like something small is waking up from a nap.

"You - Shhh, Dusty! You can't be in here, so shush up for now." Harry mutters into his pocket.

"Have you got an owl or something?" Louis cocks his head, and Harry reaches into his robes.

"A c - well, she's a kitten, really. Her name's Dusty." He pulls a tiny kitten out of his robes, fluffy and black and speckled with grey spots.

"She's so... _cute_." Louis says quietly, staring at the tiny kitten as she looks over at him and yawns. Her little teeth are adorable.

"I figured the grey kinda looks like dust, and I couldn't think of a good name, so." Harry shrugs.

"I think it's cute, it fits." Louis nods, "Can I - d'you mind if I hold her? Just - she looks so soft and cuddly, and -"

"Course you can. Here." Harry reaches across the compartment.

The tiny kitten plops into Louis's hands, and she makes a little noise as he holds her close to his chest. Louis scratches gently between her tiny ears, and she purrs, a tiny, scratchy tongue darting out to lick Louis's palm. He giggles, and Harry watches fondly. Louis looks back up at Harry, his fingers still softly scratching Dusty's back.

"Where're you from?" Louis cocks his head. Harry looks out the window as the train starts to move. It must be eleven.

"A little town in Cheshire called Holmes Chapel. 's not, like, a wizarding town or anything, so me and my sister have to keep everything all quiet. Mum's not a witch, though. Just me and my sister. You?" Harry runs a hand through his hair. Louis wonders if it's as soft as it looks..

"Doncaster, near, like, Manchester and stuff. 's an easy Floo over to, like, Diagon Alley and all that." Louis says, petting Dusty's head. She purrs and stretches out on his hands, then curls up like she's going to sleep again.

"Here, I'll put her back into my pocket so she can sleep, yeah?" Harry holds his hand out, and Louis gives Dusty over to him.

"I've got an owl, she's called Callida." Louis's mum had told him it means wise.

"Gemma - that's my sister - she's got an owl. Named it Nymph." Harry yawns, "Stupid name, if you ask me."

Louis laughs. "It's not so bad. My uncle's is named Fordham." He says, looking out the window.

They're passing lush green fields, with huge oak trees and, if he looks down, he can see a stream (or maybe a river) winding its way under the arches in the platform the train tracks are on. As Louis watches the fields as they speed past their window, he catches sight of a silvery horse that seemingly floats out of the train and gallops back towards King's Cross.

Louis's eyes widen. "'s that a Patronus? I've never seen one in action."

"Yeah, must be one of the sixth or seventh years'. I wonder what mine'll be. They've started teaching it in fifth year, you know." Harry says.

"My mum told me that." Louis remembers her saying something about it. "After Harry Potter got attacked all those times in third year they figured it'd be smart, right?"

Harry shrugs. "Something like that. It's supposed to be really hard, isn't it?"

Louis nods. "Yeah, my mum says she used to be able to do it, but now it's just a blob of silvery stuff whenever she tries."

"My sister's is a blob too, I think." Harry says after a moment of thinking.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" A plump, friendly witch with a kind smile asks, pushing the trolley in front of the compartment's open doors.

Louis has heard of Honeyduke's, of course, his mum even bought him Cauldron Cakes for Halloween once. But he's never imagined things like the sweets on the trolley in front of him. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-coloured toffees; tons of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; Drooble's Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-coloured bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps ('breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice ('hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads ('hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills ('suck on in class without getting caught!') and exploding bonbons all sit on the cart before them.

Harry gets a pack of Drooble's Best Blowing gum and three Chocolate Frogs, and Louis gets a Liquorice Wand and three Pumpkin Pasties. And, of course, they get one smallish box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. The table by the window appears magically as they walk back to their seats with the candy, and they set their goodies on it.

"Right," Louis looks at all the snacks he and Harry have just bought, "what d'you reckon comes first?"

"One bean each, yeah?" Harry suggests. Louis nods and opens up the box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

He picks out one without looking, and then Harry does the same. "On the count of three," Louis closes his eyes. "One. Two. Three!"

He pops the bean into his mouth, preparing for the worst, like brussel sprouts or ink, but he's pleasantly surprised to find that it's chocolate. Harry, however, doesn't seem too satisfied with his. He wrinkles his nose and his eyes go wide, and once he's swallowed he shakes his head vigorously.

"What'd you get?" He asks. Harry coughs again, and Louis can't help but reach over and put a hand on his knee.

"Ugh, dirt. 's bloody disgusting, can't get it out of my mouth." He shakes his head again, "What'd you get?"

Louis tears his eyes away from Harry's face, and pulls his hand away.

"Chocolate, sucker!" Louis yells.

Harry's jaw drops, and he laughs, kicking Louis lightly as he pops a piece of gum into his mouth. Louis can smell it right away. Large, bluebell-colored bubbles around the size of Louis's hand begin popping out of Harry's mouth every time he opens it, and he and Louis do their best to pop them. Once they're all popped, and the compartment is clouded with the almost intoxicating scent of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Louis figures he should change into his robes.

"'m going to change, d'you want me to go -"

"It's fine, I don't mind. Go ahead." Harry rests his head on the table, and Louis empties his bag onto the cushion.

Grabbing his white button-down shirt, Louis pulls off his jacket and puts the button-down over his white T-shirt. Then he pulls his grey jumper over it. He can't tie a tie just yet, so he settles for draping it around his neck. A little sheepishly, he pulls off his jeans, then changes into the grey pants he bought at Madam Malkin's. Lastly, he pulls his black robe over it all, and sits back down, not bothering to put his shoes back on. They've probably got an hour or so left.

He settles next to Harry this time, yawning. Harry decides he can let Dusty out, since the compartment doors are closed and all, so he takes her out of his pocket and places her in Louis's lap. She slinks over to the cushion next to Louis, curls up, and drifts off again.

Louis is about to do the same thing.

He rests his head on Harry's shoulder, closing his eyes, Harry mutters something, but Louis is already almost asleep, and he doesn't hear him.

"Lou," Harry is saying. "Louis! Wake up, the driver's just said we're less than five minutes out." Harry ruffles Louis's hair.

"Mm." Louis rubs his eyes. "How're... we getting in?" He mumbles sleepily.

"To the castle? Dunno, Gem wouldn't tell me. Must be something cool, though, otherwise it wouldn't matter if she told me." Harry shrugs.

The train begins to slow, and both Louis and Harry crane their necks to see Hogsmeade Station. It's simple, with a few small stone buildings along the side and a toilet on the end. There's a large sign that says "HOGWARTS THIS WAY" and two small paths leading up a large hill and one leading to what looks like a lake, from what Louis can see. The train stops, and Harry and Louis grab their things and follow the hoard of students venturing onto the platform. There's a huge, giant-like man with a wild mane of hair and a long beard herding the first years together.

"Firs' years this way! We're goin' to the lake, we are." He says. "'m Hagrid, I'll be leadin' yer' t,' Hogwarts."

Louis thinks he's lost Harry in the crowd, but a hand takes his from behind, and Harry pops up next to him, looking as nervous as Louis feels. Harry gives him a nervous smile, and they follow the other first years. Harry's fingers lace with his, and Louis thinks he can feel himself blush. They follow Hagrid to the lake, where at least a hundred rowboats are waiting for them. The lake is huge, inky black and stretching out all around them.

"Righ', no more 'n three to a boat, ya' hear?" Hagrid calls.

Louis leads Harry into the boat closest to them, and it begins to move of its own accord. At the last minute, a girl with hot pink hair runs through a few inches of water and hops in with them. The boat rocks side to side a bit, and the girl blushes, settling herself across from Harry and Louis.

"Sorry," She says, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm Perrie Edwards." She adds. Louis and Harry introduce themselves.

"Any idea what house you'll be in?" Harry asks.

Perrie smiles like she’s been hoping someone would ask. "Well, most of my family’s been in Slytherin, except for my great uncle Arthur, but - Wow! It really is as pretty as they said!" Perrie breaks off, looking above Louis and Harry's heads.

Louis turns. Looming above them on top of a huge hill, is an enormous castle. His eyes widen. It really is like the books said. There are at least a dozen towers, and one especially huge one on the east side of the castle. The castle sits in a valley, surrounded by mountains capped by snow. Hundreds of candles glow softly in the windows, and the castle looks like a painting backed by a moonlit sky.

" _Wow_ ," Louis breathes.

He grins, looking at his new home for the next nine months. Harry's hand squeezes his, and he's glad he's made at least one friend today. He supposes this pink-haired girl, Perrie, counts as a friend too.

It takes around fifteen minutes to get across the lake, and once they have, Hagrid leads them to the castle, where they're led into a corridor outside what Hargid tells them is the Great Hall, where a stern-looking witch in magenta robes prepares them for the sorting.

"Now," She begins, "I am Professor Sibley, and I'll be your Astronomy teacher once your classes begin. I am going to lead you into the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into one of four houses. There is Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, which I am head of, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. While you're here, your house will be your family. You successes will earn you points, and any rule-breaking will lose them. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup. I'll be right back, try to make yourselves presentable." She strides into the Great Hall, leaving the kids in the corridor.

Louis runs a hand through his fringe, hoping it isn't too fluffed-up from his nap. Harry hastily shakes his curly mop out and combs it the side with his fingers, then catches sight of Louis's untied tie.

He laughs, shaking his head. “Lou.”

"I don't know how, okay?" Louis blushes.

Harry rolls his eyes and begins tying the knot on Louis's tie. He tightens it around his neck, and, Louis, in a very Louis-like impulse, loosens it. Harry laughs as Perrie comes back over. As Louis watches, her hair goes pale, until it's faded into a dirty blonde.

"Wha - How -" Louis stutters, staring at Perrie's newly light hair.

Perrie grins. "I'm a Metamorphmagus. I can change what I look like whenever I want." As she speaks, her face morphs into Harry's, except with the same dirty blonde hair she has.

"Whoa, how does that work?" Harry asks, laughing quietly. Perrie changes back to herself.

"It's cool, right?" She grins.

"Wicked." Louis nods, then quiets as Sibley comes back into the corridor with a rolled-up scroll of parchment in her hand.

She opens the doors to the Great Hall, and leads the students inside. Louis hadn't imagined it to be such a grand place. It's lit by thousands and thousands of candles that float in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students are sitting. The tables are laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall is another long table where the teachers are sitting, perpendicular to the students' tables. The hundreds of faces staring at them look like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Louis looks upward, and sees a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He knows it's bewitched to look like the night sky, but it's hard to believe that the Great Hall doesn't open right up to the heavens.

In front of the teachers' table, sits a stool, and upon that stool, there is an old, tattered wizard's hat. As Sibley leads them down the middle of the hall, the hat opens its mouth, and begins to sing:

" _A thousand years or more ago_  
 _When I was newly sewn,_  
 _There lived four wizards of renown,_  
 _Whose names are still well known:_  
 _Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,_  
 _Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,_  
 _Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,_  
 _Shrewd Slytherin, from fen._  
 _They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,_  
 _They hatched a daring plan_  
 _To educate young sorcerers_  
 _Thus Hogwarts School began._  
 _Now each of these four founders_  
 _Formed their own house, for each_  
 _Did value different virtues_  
 _In the ones they had to teach._  
 _By Gryffindor, the bravest were_  
 _Prized far beyond the rest;_  
 _For Ravenclaw, the cleverest_  
 _Would always be the best;_  
 _For Hufflepuff, hard workers were_  
 _Most worthy of admission;_  
 _And power-hungry Slytherin_  
 _Loved those of great ambition._  
 _While still alive they did divide_  
 _Their favourites from the throng,_  
 _Yet how to pick the worthy ones_  
 _When they were dead and gone?_  
 _Twas Gryffindor who found the way,_  
 _He whipped me off his head_  
 _The founders put some brains in me_  
 _So I could choose instead!_  
 _Now slip me snug about your ears,_  
 _I've never yet been wrong,_  
 _I'll have a look inside your mind_  
 _And tell where you belong_!"

Everyone claps as the hat finishes its song, and the hat, to Louis's astonishment, takes a little bow. The first years gather in front of the stool, and Sibley stands at the top of the short flight of stairs, unrolling the scroll she's been holding. The first student to be sorted is Ryder Anthony, who becomes the first Hufflepuff. Louis realizes that the list is going alphabetical by last name, meaning he'll be far down it.

Niall Breslin becomes the first Gryffindor, and the table closest to the wall on Louis's left erupts in applause. Michael Clifford becomes a Slytherin, and tall girl with curly blonde hair whose name Louis doesn’t hear becomes a Ravenclaw. True to her word, Perrie is sorted into Slytherin, and Luke Hemmings, a Hufflepuff, trips on his way to the table, and everyone laughs. There's another Niall who comes up next, he becomes a Hufflepuff as well. Next is Calum Hood, who becomes a Slytherin. Ashton Irwin, who's sorted into Slytherin as well, knocks the hat off the stool as he puts it down, and hastily fixes it and walks back to the table with a blush all over his face.

Zayn Malik, a tan boy with dark eyes and olive skin, becomes a Ravenclaw. Jesy Nelson is the next Ravenclaw, and Barbara Palvin becomes the next Hufflepuff. The next Gryffindor is Liam Payne, a scrawny-looking boy with kind eyes, light brown hair, and a birthmark on his neck. As they near the end of the list, Harry is called.

"Styles, Harry." Sibley calls.

Harry walks up to the stool like he's in a daze, sits on it, and puts it on his head, over his curls. He sits there for a moment, until the Sorting Hat screams out,

"SLYTHERIN!"

Harry smiles hugely, placing the hat on the stool and walking over to the table. The Slytherins clap and cheer, welcoming Harry with claps on the back and several handshakes.

"Tomlinson, Louis." Sibley calls, but she gets his name wrong. It's _Louis_ , not Lewis.

Louis steps forward slowly, being careful not to trip up the steps like some of the first years have. He sits on the stool, and Sibley places the Sorting Hat on his head. It slips past his eyes, and he hears a soft voice in his head.

"Let me see... you're brave, and powerful, yes... it'd seem like... but no, the thirst to prove yourself is too great..." The hat mutters, "Yes... I've got it now, SLYTHERIN!"

Louis beams; he's in the same house as Harry. He walks over to the Slytherin table briskly, accepting the handshakes and even the few hugs he's offered by other Slytherins. He squeezes in next to Harry, who pulls him into a hug. Louis hugs him back, burying his face in Harry's neck. When they separate, Slytherin students begin introducing themselves to Louis, and there's no way he'll remember any of their names.

McGonagall stands up from her chair and waves her wand, and everyone in the hall goes quiet.

"Welcome, students, to what I'm sure will be another fantastic year at Hogwarts. I hope you all had a good summer, but, alas, we've got to clear the cobwebs in your heads, and get you back to learning. A few start of term announcements, before we can begin the feast: the Dark Forest, as it has always been, is off limits to all those who do not wish to spend a very long time at St. Mungo's. First years, unless otherwise stated, will not be permitted on the house Quidditch teams, and... I'm forgetting something, I know I am... Oh, well. Let the feast begin!"

McGonagall waves her wand, and all sorts of food appears on the golden platters in front of them. Roasted beef, roasted chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, turkey legs, and ham are only a few of the things that are seemingly pulled out of thin air. Once they've finished dinner, blocks of ice cream, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, strawberries, jelly, and rice pudding appear in place of the first course. Even though they're all full to bursting from dinner, everyone around Louis manages a helping of dessert. When they're done with dinner, McGonagall waves her wand again, and the food disappears.

"If you'd all join me in singing the school's song, and then you and your full bellies can be off to bed." She smiles at them, and the students (except the first years, of course) begin singing at all different tempos,

" _Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_  
 _Teach us something please,_  
 _Whether we be old and bald,_  
 _Or young with scabby knees,_  
 _Our heads could do with filling,_  
 _With some interesting stuff,_  
 _For now they're bare and full of air,_  
 _Dead flies and bits of fluff,_  
 _So teach us things worth knowing,_  
 _Bring back what we've forgot,_  
 _Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_  
 _And learn until our brains all rot_."

Everyone finishes at different times, and once everyone's done, McGonagall sends them off to bed. The Slytherins follow a Prefect called James down to their common room, and he tells that the password this year is _Whizzbee_. The first years' dorms are at the top of seven flights of stairs, and by the time the boys make up, they could fall asleep standing up, but they all introduce themselves first.

There are three other boys in Louis's dorm. Harry, a boy called Stan, and Calum, who Louis recognizes from the sorting. Once they've all had a few laughs together, the four boys change into pajamas and climb into their four-poster beds.

It takes Louis a while to fall asleep, but eventually tiny Dusty begins scratching at the curtains of his bed, and he picks her up and cuddles her close, and falls asleep after a long, long time. The first night in his new home.

xxx

During their first year, Harry and Louis are rarely seen without the other by his side. Calum and Stan are usually with them, too. When they can't sleep, Louis and Harry will climb into one of their beds, and they'll talk about all the things bothering them.

"My dad... he left when he found out my mum was pregnant... I... I was an accident, really." Louis whispers one night. Harry frowns and wraps his arms around Louis, holding him close.

"That doesn't make you any less of a person, Lou." Harry runs his hand up and down Louis's back. "My dad's gone as well."

"Sorry, Haz." Louis mumbles into his chest.

"'s alright. Didn't know him. We should go to sleep, yeah?" Harry whispers, and Louis nods.

Harry crawls under the covers with him, and holds Louis close as they drift off to sleep.

xxx

Their first flying class with Madam Hooch goes exceedingly better than Louis imagined.

He and Calum are easily the best flyers in the class, it comes quite naturally to each of them. Louis's mum had bought him a kiddie broomstick when he was young and he remembers zooming around the house as a child.

xxx

In their second year, Harry and Louis add Ravenclaw Zayn Malik to their joined-at-the-hip group of mates. Zayn is a good kid, if a little quiet. He's a big goofball, Louis and Harry find that out after about a week of knowing him.

He is, though, a little more dedicated to his studies than Harry and Louis are, which is a drag if they want to play a game of Exploding Snap and Zayn is writing an essay on his favorite constellation.

xxx

In fourth year, things for Zayn turn strange.

His eyes keep changing color, and Louis swears his hair gets lighter every day. Harry convinces him to go see Madam Pomfrey, who tells him he's a Metamorphmagus. Though it's extremely rare to find out so late, he's undoubtedly a Metamorphmagus.

His hair begins turning purple at random times of the day, and Louis gets Perrie to help him control it.

xxx

Fifth year is when things get weird for Louis.

He and Harry are sitting in their dormitory early one night, cold and bored. They've been trying to transfigure Stan's scarf into a belt for the last half hour, but with no luck.

"Louis?" Harry asks.

"Hm?" Louis tears his eyes away, he knows he's been staring.

"Everything okay?" Harry asks, lifting Louis's chin up.

"Yeah..." Louis lies.

"Then why won't you look at me?" Harry presses. Louis sighs. No point in lying.

"Cause if I do, I'll have to kiss you."

"W - what?" Harry asks quickly.

"I kn -"

"Is that really such a bad thing? I mean, is there something wrong with wanting to kiss me?" Harry asks, a hint of hurt in his eyes.

"No, b -"

And then it happens.

Harry's hand is on Louis's cheek and then their lips are touching, and. Well. They're kissing. It's slow, and tentative at first, but then Louis's hands are tangling in Harry's soft curls, and Harry's other hand is cupping the back of Louis's neck, and then a warm, wet tongue slips past Louis's lips, and he sucks it in further.

Their tongues slide together in a spit-swapping, eyes closed, hair pulling kiss. Louis pushes Harry backwards onto the bed, landing on top of him. Harry wraps his arms around Louis's waist, biting on his bottom lip. Louis has no idea how to snog, but he hopes he's doing it right.

Louis feels like he's on fire. He wants to touch every inch of Harry, map out every part of his mouth with his tongue. Harry's skin is hot, igniting Louis's with sparks everywhere they touch.

Louis moves his hands to Harry's face, running his thumb over his jawline. Harry rubs his back, one large hand holding the small of his back. Harry is so gentle with him, holding him close but not crushing him, exploring his mouth but not suffocating him.

He can't believe this is happening. He's kissing Harry. Like, _kissing_ him. No, they're snogging. Full on, tongue on tongue snogging. And Louis can taste the toffee they had during last period on his Harry's tongue, making everything feel sweeter.

Louis makes a little noise in the back of his throat, and Harry pulls him closer, and, Merlin, he smells good.

Harry's hands slide under Louis's shirt, and he sits up.

"We can't do this." Louis shakes his head.

"We don't have to do anything, I wanted to be closer -"

"No, no, I mean we can't fucking _snog_ like that, Harry! Boys aren't supposed to kiss." Louis says quickly.

"But -"

"We can't... Just forget it. I'm gonna shower." Louis stands and walks to the bathrooms briskly.

He can't do this with Harry. One of them will fuck it all up, and their friendship will be ruined. Plus, it's just not right. Boys don't kiss. At least, not boys as young as Louis and Harry.

Fifth is also the year that the Firewhiskey and other drinks come into play.

It's Niall's fault, really. They had become close with Niall in the fall, and he started bringing the drinks to parties during the winter holidays. Louis likes the Firewhiskey best, likes the way he can feel it burning its way down his throat. They sometimes drink it if it gets really cold in the castle, and it'll warm them down to their bones.

Louis is a good student, not fantastic like Zayn, but, he gets good marks in all his classes, especially Defense Against the Dark Arts. Zayn and his ever-color-changing eyes are almost at the top of every class, but Louis has the best marks in Transfigurations. Harry is an average student in each class, he gets good marks just a bit lower than Louis's. He likes Care of Magical Creatures, with Hagrid, as he's good with the animals and other creatures Hagrid has them study.

xxx

Louis tries to hide his feelings for Harry as the year comes to an end, and in sixth year, but he catches himself staring at Harry all hours of the day, studying the structure of his jawline and the curve of his cheekbones. Harry's hair is always so soft, and Louis loves running his fingers through it.

Zayn is appointed to a Prefect in sixth year, and loves poking fun at Harry, Niall, and Louis because they weren't asked to be Prefects. Perrie becomes a Prefect too, and her, Zayn, and the other Prefects stalk the halls at night, making sure the younger students aren't out past their curfew on school nights.

The two Metemorphmagi like to tease their friends, sometimes changing to look like each other and coax secrets out of their friends. More than once, Zayn has changed into Harry and gone to kiss Louis, which always makes Louis furious.

That year, Zayn discovers he can fully take the form of a grey wolf, which he already knew was his Patronus. Sometimes, when he gets mad, Louis can see his canine teeth begin to lengthen, and occasionally his eyes will flash black. Otherwise, he's completely in control of his abilities.

It really helps that Zayn can take the form of an adult, too, as it makes it easy to get drinks from Hogsmeade for him and the lads.

The only word to describe Louis's first six years at Hogwarts is enchanting. He's found all sorts of secret passageways to all kinds of secret places; Hogwarts does a good job hiding its mysteries. Louis's favorite place, by far, is the garden he found in second year. The whole little courtyard is filled with flowers that move of their own accord, winding up the castle's walls.

Often, after Quidditch practice, Louis will fly his broom over to the garden and lay in the grass until he's relaxed and calmed down. He's considered bringing Harry to the garden loads of times, but he doesn't want Harry to think it's a date.

At the end of sixth year, it's a little sad, knowing that it's going to be over soon. Louis is peeved that almost all of his friends are of age to do magic whenever they want, and he'll have to wait until December, but Harry cheers him up. They go home with smiles on their faces and sadness in their hearts, knowing that the next Start of Term Feast will be their last.

 


	2. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of Seventh Year, a very awkward first date, and a moonlit trip to Hogsmeade

_Lou,_

_I'm head boy! Pez and I got our letters last week. How was France? Did you and Harry go to Paris and all that? Merlin, I saw Liam Payne, the scrawny kid from Gryffindor at a Harpies game in July, we talked for a while. He's not scrawny anymore, let me tell you. He's pretty cool, even if he's got some stupid quiff. Are you still with Haz? Ask him if we can sleep over the night before we go in, I've missed you guys._

_My hair kept turning pink while me and Safaa were in Pakistan, she wouldn't stop making fun of me for it. I think it was just cause I was bored. I was a wolf a lot while we were there, everything's a lot more... mulled over (did I use that right? I'm all messed up from the hols) while I'm Changed._

_How have you been? I heard Harry finally figured out the Patronus. It's a doe, right? I think he tried to send his to give me a message last week, but it coughed a lot and then ran away. He probably started coughing when he tried to talk, and. Well. You know. He's an idiot._

_I hope I'll see you at Harry's next week!_

_See you soon,_

_Z_

Louis hands the letter to Harry, who's in his bed. Harry takes it sleepily, sits up, and begins to read. It's late; Zayn's owl, Acutus, must've had a long flight to Louis's house.

"Sure, you guys can stay. S'pose that means 've got to go back to mine. I'll have to pack up my drawer." Harry frowns.

He's been staying at Louis's house for the past week or so, his mum and Gemma are fighting, and he's sick of hearing them bicker. He turned up at Louis's house at half past midnight, apparated there with nothing but three day's worth of clothes and his wand. He and Louis stay in Louis's bed, and always end up cuddled together in the morning.

"We've got a few more days, we don't have to leave just yet. I bet Gemma and your mum will be fine, okay?" Louis says, laying back so his head hangs off the edge of his bed.

"Don't lay like that, Lou, you'll hurt your neck, and then you won't be Quidditch Captain," Louis can hear the concern in his voice, and he sits up.

"And why does that matter to you, Styles?" Louis asks.

"Because I can't cheer for someone in the hospital wing, can I?" Harry and Louis laugh.

Louis runs a hand through his hair, and he's sure it's absolutely crazy-looking. Harry's certainly is. "I guess not. 're you in charge of those hippogriffs this year?" 

"Nah, I asked Hagrid if I could just help out when he teaches the third years about them, and he said yeah, so I'm free." He grins.

"Hey," Louis stands as he catches sight of an owl outside, flying towards his window. He pulls it open, and a large barn owl with two thick manila envelopes flies inside and lands on the windowsill. Louis takes the letters from its beak, pets its head, and walks back over to Harry. "Hogwarts letters 're here. Diagon Alley tomorrow?" He cocks his head, handing Harry his letter.

"Sure." Harry says.

Louis opens his letter. "Dear Mr. Tomlinson," Louis reads aloud in a formal voice, "Term this year will begin on September the first. Please arrive at King's Cross Station no later than eleven o'clock. Please find your shopping list and class schedule enclosed. Blah, blah, blah." He rolls his eyes.

"Mine's the same." Harry cocks his head, "I think it's been the same for six years, actually. The first one's all ' _we are pleased to inform you'_  and all that shit." Louis bursts out laughing.

"We should write back to Zaynie, that'd be the righteous thing to do, wouldn't it? The  _Gryffindor_  thing to do." Louis rolls his eyes, upper lip curling. Harry laughs.

Harry flops back onto his pillow. "I'm thinking the right thing to do right now is go back to sleep. Write to Zayn tomorrow." 

"Yeah." Louis looks back at the barn owl at his window. "Shoo. I want to sleep."

"Maybe he's here to make sure we don't do anything ." Harry says sleepily. Louis laughs, ignoring the explicit picture that pops into his head.

"Well, that's not much of an issue. Goodbye, Hogwarts owl." Louis gently pushes it away, and it flies back the way it came.

He shuts the window and climbs into bed, resting his head on Harry's bare chest. Harry wraps an arm around him, and Louis closes his eyes. He falls asleep in Harry's warm embrace.

The next morning, Louis wakes up to find himself in inch away from Harry's face; their noses are millimetres from touching. He gets out of bed slowly, pulling the covers back over his friend's sleeping form. As quietly as he can (the floors are creaky so there's almost no point), Louis pulls on trackies and a shirt, then sits at his desk to write back to Zayn.

_Zayn,_

_Congratulations! You and Pez are gonna have that common room all to yourselves, ooh. I'm counting on you letting me and Haz stay there on weekends and stuff. France was great, me and Harry walked around Paris all day long, and met a lot of girls from Beauxbattons. There's a boys school there, I think its called_ Jenues Sorciers _, it's French for something._

_Harry's been staying with me, Anne and Gemma got in a fight cause she wants to go to the World Cup next summer, and Anne doesn't want her to go with Ashton. They're going out, you know. It's a bit gross, he comes over to Harry's a lot and they're all cutesy coupley and shit. Anyway, Haz says we can stay. We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to to school shopping, try to come._

_I've been good, things are all the same. All the girls are transferring to Beauxbattons this year, so we won't see them for a while. Did I tell you that already? Oh well._

_Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow,_

_Lou_

He folds up the letter and addresses the envelope to Zayn's house in Bradford, then puts it in Callida's beak and sends her off. He climbs back into bed and curls himself around Harry, inhaling Harry's familiar scent. Harry stirs.

"Morning, Haz."

"Whattimeisit?" Harry mutters.

"Dunno, 's late I think." Louis shrugs, and Harry starts tickling him. " _No_!" He squeals, squirming away. Harry laughs, and stops after a bit.

"Heh." Harry smirks.

"Most of the time, I don't see how you could be in Slytherin, but, sometimes -" He shivers.

"What, like when I buy you all those Pixie Puffs? Hell, I'm half sure you're a fucking pixie." Harry laughs.

"Least I'm not deathly afraid of spiders, mate." Louis rolls his eyes.

"Hey," Harry frowns. "'s not my fault Gemma put one in my cereal."

Louis shakes his head. "I still don't think that happened." 

"Think what you want," Harry pokes his cheek. "but that's what it was."

"I wrote back to Zayn," Louis starts to stand, but Harry grabs his hips and pulls him back.

"Where are you going?" Louis can hear the smirk in his voice.

"Nowhere, apparently."

"Mhm."

"I told Zayn to try to meet us to go school shopping. Mum said I might be able to get the new Quickflash if I finish my essay on ghosts by tomorrow!" He beams.

" _Wicked_. How much have you got left?" Harry asks.

"Two feet of parchment." Louis laughs.

"Write it really, really big." Harry says.

"What d'you think I've been doing for the past six years, Harry?" Louis raises and eyebrow, and Harry laughs.

Harry wiggles his finger at him. "Naughty, Lou. Very naughty." 

They spend the day lazing around Louis's house, summoning (well, Harry did the summoning) candy and snacks from the couch as they watch Muggle TV. Harry and Louis spend a good amount of their time they spend together cuddling. It's just their  _thing_. Zayn and Niall poke fun at them for it, but everyone they know admits that Harry and Louis are the best cuddlers around.

Louis especially loves being close to Harry because he's always so warm. Harry's like his own personal space heater, and, plus, he follows Louis around like a little puppy. Whenever Louis is cold, he'll give Harry a cuddle and warm right up.

Later, when they're getting ready to go to sleep, Zayn's Patronus glides through the wall in Louis's room and stops by his bed. The silvery wolf cocks its head, and Zayn's voice fills the room.

"I can meet you guys by Fortescue's for sundaes. Lou, I'll buy if you replace my  _quill_  that you stole last term. See you there, lads." The Patronus fades away.

"That answers that question, then. 're we taking the Floo?" Louis asks.

"We could Side-Along Apparate." Harry shrugs in his sleepy state.

"You know that makes me sick."

"Yeah, but it's quicker that way."

"But you don't want me sick, do you? The last time I was sick I -"

"Threw up in my lap, I remember quite well."

"Don't look at me like that, I was drunk as all hell."

"I'll ask my mum if you and Z can stay, gimme a sec." Harry reaches over Louis to grab his wand from the bedside table. " _Expecto_   _Patronum_!" A silvery doe bursts out from the tip of Harry's wand, and bows to him cordially. "Mum, can Louis and Zayn sleep over the night before school starts? We'll be all quiet and everything. I hope you and Gems have agreed on... whatever you two were on about, love you!" The doe glides out.

"How sweet of you." Louis rolls his eyes.

"Don't make me put a tickling hex on you again, you nearly pissed yourself last time." Harry laughs.

" _Merlin_ , please don't. I'd have to kill you." Louis shakes his head.

"You'd never."

"Oh, I would." Louis winks.

"Go to bed, wanker."

"Yeah, love you too." Louis rolls over and closes his eyes.

xxx

The next morning, Louis wakes up to a mouthful of Harry's hair, and an arm around his waist. He nudges Harry's thigh with his knee until he wakes up.

"What?" Harry mutters.

"Wake up, we've got to meet Zayn." Louis says.

"Can't we have five more minutes?" Harry asks.

"Nope, we'll be late if we wait." Louis shakes his head, spitting hair out of his mouth.

"What're you doing?" Harry mumbles.

"Your fucking fringe is so long, it's getting in my bloody mouth." Louis snaps.

"I bet it's been longer that I've had it growing than yours." Harry says.

"That doesn't even make sense. Now get up." Louis stands.

"Noooo!" Harry rolls back under the sheets.

Louis ignores him and pulls on jeans and a jumper, then takes out clothes for Harry to wear when they meet Zayn. The place they're meeting at, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, is the best ice cream place around, with all kinds of flavors imaginable. The original owner, Florean Fortescue himself had been killed by Death Eaters back when Voldemort was rising, and now it's owned by a kind, potbellied man with a large moustache called Ernie.

After a while, Harry finally climbs out of bed and gets ready to go. Louis makes sure they each have their shopping lists, and, once they've said goodbye to his mum, Harry holds out his arm for Louis to Side-Along Apparate with him.

Harry Apparates, and Louis feels like a large hook is dragging him around from the navel. He closes his eyes, and feels his feet hit solid ground. The sounds of people around him causes his eyes to snap open. All around Harry and Louis, people are walking around with their purchases, talking, laughing, and having a good time.

The shops that line Diagon Alley jut out at odd angles, with signs for shops that sell cauldrons, potion ingredients, brooms, robes, books, all sorts of sweets, owls, cats, toads, and everything else a wizard could need. At the corner of the alley stands Gringotts, a large, imposing, marble building with many columns that stand a bit crookedly, and Louis is sure it must be held up by magic. Quality Quidditch Supplies is just a few shops ahead, and the new Quickflash is proudly on display in the window. Louis longs to sit on its glossy handle, feel the way it soars, quicker than any other brooms on the market.

He grins; he's always loved Diagon Alley. Harry nudges Louis's shoulder, and they head down towards Fortescue's to meet Zayn. Louis can't wait to get his favorite ice cream, chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts.

Leaning against the doorway of the ice cream parlor is a boy, a few inches shorter than Louis, with bluish-black hair, uncommonly defined cheekbones, endlessly long eyelashes, and dark eyes.

"Zayn!" Louis calls.

Zayn turns, and a huge smile splits his tanned face. His hair is immaculately perfect, as it styles itself. That has always bugged Louis, it's not fair. Zayn meets him and Harry halfway, and pulls them each into a hug.

"Hey, mates, how've you been?" Zayn asks.

"Ice cream first, 'm 'ungry." Harry says. Zayn rolls his eyes.

"'ve either of you heard from Niall? He hasn't written back, must be having fun in Ireland." Zayn says, leading them inside. The door jingles as it opens.

"Hello, boys! Doing your school shopping, are we?" Ernie beams at them from behind the counter.

"Yep, but our friend here has promised to buy us cones before we start." Louis says happily.

"Sixth year this time 'round?" Ernie asks.

"Seventh." Harry says.

"Ah. What can I get you boys?" Ernie asks kindheartedly.

They order their ice creams and sit at one of the little tables outside of Fortescue's. Zayn tells them about his adventures in Pakistan, rapidly transforming into people on his stories as he recalls them. Louis and Harry tell him about the mischief they've gotten up to during the past summer, taking great delight in telling him about when they bewitched Louis's neighbor's flowers into smelling like onions.

"And she had no idea why the  _bloody_  hell her tulips smelled like onions?" Zayn asks, laughing.

"No, she kept sniffing around, it was fantastic." Louis shakes his head, running a hand through his hair.

"Is that," Harry stands, looking up the street at someone Louis can't see, " _Niall_?" He cocks his head.

"What?" Louis stands, looking around.

A boy, with dyed blonde tips, bright blue eyes and a huge smile, is jogging towards them. "Boys!" 

They exchange hugs, and Zayn buys Niall a strawberry and peanut butter ice cream cone, and the four of them go to Quality Quidditch Supplies and drool over the brooms. Later, when they've all bought everything except for their books, and their parcels are hovering above them via Niall, they spot Liam Payne, who Zayn says he's been writing to since they ran into each other in London. Liam's really filled out, Louis thinks. His hair is styled in a perfect quiff, and his shoulders are broader and he looks like he's been working out; his arms are huge.

Liam is quite a kind, funny guy, Louis thinks. Niall thinks he's hilarious, but, then again, Niall thinks everything's hilarious. When Louis and Harry tell them about their hair bet, all three of the boys just roll their eyes and tell them they're nuts.

"Louis, 're you Quidditch captain this year?" Liam asks as they approach Flourish and Blott's, the bookstore closest to them.

"Yeah, Slytherin's gonna crush you guys this time ‘round." Louis makes a face at him and Niall.

"Oh yeah? You just lost your seeker, didn't you?" Niall, a seeker himself, asks.

"Yeah, he just graduated. But we've got Perrie this year, and she's even faster than the old one ever was." Louis says.

"Well, we've got me, so." Liam raises his eyebrows, and Louis laughs.

" _We've_  got Hood as our keeper now." Louis brags.

"That scrawny Calum kid? He's nothing compared to this." Liam flexes, and Louis could faint at the size of his muscles.

Louis ignores Liam as he begins telling them about how he finished his coursework only a week after summer break started, choosing instead to link Zayn's arm with his and stride inside Flourish and Blott's dramatically. They have a long list for books this year, and Louis ends up blowing quite a bit of the money he's brought. He doesn't hesitate to buy a self-writing quill and a few Extendable Ears at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, though.

Niall and Liam each have to meet their families for dinner, and the two of them Disapparate home. Zayn, Louis, and Harry head to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. On his way in, Louis sees witches and wizards of all ages and ethnicities sitting at tables, eating their food, and talking with their friends. One wizard, sitting by himself and reading a book, is stirring his cup of tea solely by twirling his finger in the air.

Tom, the wizened old bartender, greets them at the door and ushers them to a table. Louis orders three Butterbeers for each of them (with extra foam for himself, of course). Louis adores Butterbeer, loves the way it can warm him up on cold days or cool him down on hot ones.

After they've eaten, Harry and Louis say their goodbyes to Zayn, then Disapparate home, where they have an intense pillow fight and Harry bewitches his book to read itself aloud until they fall asleep.

The rest of the week, Harry and Louis finish up their coursework for the summer, and Jay agrees to get Louis the Quickflash.

Louis takes it home, and he and Harry fly around on it all day. Louis could fly for hours on end. It's quieter up there, in the sky, where there's nothing but him and the endless space around him. Up there, all alone, Louis doesn't have to worry about letting his feelings for Harry show through (though he's sure they probably do). The new broom is fast, easily faster than Louis's old Centriforce.

He's supposed to keep it safely stored in the cupboard under the stairs when he's not using it, but it usually ends up on his bed, where he'll drool over it while Harry babbles about something silly.

Louis wonders exactly how Zayn became Head Boy; he's always getting into trouble with him. But, then again, he's one of the smartest students in the whole school, and he's a great help to both Professor Finnigan and Professor Granger, both of the Transfiguration teachers. Louis still thinks it's weird that he calls them by their first names even in class, he couldn't imagine calling either of them Seamus or Hermione.

Louis likes to think he's a powerful wizard, but sometimes he's not so sure all the time. In fifth year, Louis produced a corporeal Patronus on his third try, a silvery red fox. Their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at the time was very impressed. Another time, he reduced the entire skeleton of a Norwegian Ridgeback to dust during class. Professor Verio says Louis could be a very powerful and successful wizard one day.

Louis wants - well, he  _thinks_  he wants to be an Auror when he grows up. There aren't many dark wizards out there anymore, and the ones that are have been doing their dark magic in hiding. Louis saw one of the few remaining Death Eaters once.

He was young, probably only in his second year, when he was messing about at a park with Harry. A man in a black robe was walking towards them, but he was far enough away that Louis couldn't see his face. As he got closer, Louis could make out a bluish-black mask with silvery, twining designs on the face. He said nothing to them, only looked very intently at Louis until he asked the man to leave so he and Harry could keep playing Exploding Snap.

When Louis told his mother about the strange man with the weird mask, she almost cried and hugged both him and Harry very tightly. She explained everything about Death Eaters, and their loyalty to Lord Voldemort, and, of course, the noble Harry Potter, who Louis had known about since he could talk.

Louis is excited to go back to school and see all his friends, but, at the same time, he doesn't want to go back to classes and all that. He's eager to start Quidditch, though. As captain, he plans to lead Slytherin to victory this year no matter what. The summer is drawing to an end, the last page of balmy nights and cool mornings coming to a close.  

xxx

It's September first, and they're going to be late.

Harry can't find his tie, and Zayn and Louis are getting angrier by the minute. Zayn has made his hair dark blue again, and it's perfectly quiffed up, but Louis couldn't get his own hair to do anything today, which is making him even more angry.

Finally, at three minutes to eleven, Harry finds his tie and they Apparate (Side-Along Apparate for some) to King's Cross. The three of them load their trunks on the train, and find an empty compartment. Well, it's not really empty, but Zayn, being Head Boy, was able to make the sixth years inside go sit with their other friends.

"Harry, pull your shirt down, your arse is hanging out," Louis laughs as he sits, tugging Harry's jumper down.

"Thanks, mum." Harry rolls his eyes and sits across from him.

"Well it's not my fault your arse is on display, is it?" Louis snaps.

"You're one to talk." Harry wrinkles his nose at him.

"Honestly," Zayn sits down next to Louis. "you two are like an old married couple, it's ridiculous." He says.

"I don't know if I should say thank you or not..." Harry cocks his head, and Louis laughs.

The three of them talk and laugh for a while on the train, until Niall comes in, and that's when it gets a little crazy. He had bought Transforming Jellies from the trolley earlier, and the boys share them in their compartment. Louis picks up a green one, which he knows to be an lion. He looks around and growls low in his throat - he can feel it vibrating through his chest. He throws his head back and roars, delighting in the way all of the other boys laugh.

Harry grabs a cat jelly, and he whimpers and mewls at them with big green eyes. Louis and Zayn burst out laughing, and Niall almost starts crying at how much he's giggling. Zayn pops a hawk into his mouth, and immediately starts cawing loudly. Liam comes in as Niall is squealing like a pig, looking very confused.

"Um," He scratches the back of his neck. "hi?"

"Hello, Liam!" Louis stands, going to shake his hand. "Fantastic to see you, absolutely  _spiffing_  -"

"Sit down, Lou." Harry grabs him by the hips and pulls him onto his lap.

"I love when you get rough like that." Louis winks at Harry and paws at his chest. Harry throws his head back and laughs, whacking the back of Louis's head.

"Have you guys got any gum? My breath smells like those disgusting mints on Professor Binns' desk." Liam makes a gagging sound, and Louis laughs.

"Here." Niall tosses him a pack of fruity gum.

"So, Head Boy this year, eh?" Liam sits next to Zayn.

"Yeah, and a friend of mine is Head Girl, so sharing a dorm will be fun." Zayn nods.

"You get a whole dorm to yourselves?" Niall asks.

"Jealous, Niall?" Zayn smirks.

"You're gonna throw parties, right?" Niall presses.

"That's a possibility." Zayn raises his eyebrows, breaking off a piece of a liquorice wand and popping it into his mouth.

The kind old trolley witch comes by soon, stopping at the door of their compartment. Louis is the only one to get anything; he pays four sickles for a jug of pumpkin juice, which he downs quickly. When they get closer to Hogwarts, the five of them all change into their robes, each of which bears the crest of their house. Perrie and Jesy squeeze in the compartment with them a bit later, but only stay for a little while, as Perrie has to patrol the train as Head Girl.

When they arrive at Hogwarts, they follow the throng of people out onto the platform at Hogsmeade station, where Hagrid is still calling for the first years to follow him onto the boats. It's raining hard, and Louis feels bad for the poor first years, who will have to go across the Black lake in this pouring rain.

They follow the students to the carriages, carefully avoiding stepping in puddles as they walk. Once they’re settled into the carriage, Louis listens for the sounds of the invisible creatures he knows to pull the carriage. His mum used to tell stories about them. He can’t make out any noises though, so he sits back and bumps Harry’s knee on purpose.

The huge Hogwarts castle comes into view as the castle trails up the winding path towards the school. Louis is still just as amazed at the first time he saw it. He can see the lights of the Great Hall, and all the windows on the towers, each lit by a single candle on the windowsill. Louis and his friends get out at the gate, where they pass through the magical wall of enchantments guarding the castle from both Muggles and Dark magic.

Louis has read about a few of the spells protecting the castle, but from what he knows, there's a lot of them. If a Muggle were to find the castle, it's been bewitched so they'll see nothing but ruins. There's a spell that prevents anyone but the Headmaster from Apparating into the castle. Hogsmeade, however, can be Apparated into.

They're led inside by Professor Malfoy, who sits them down, and then goes and sits by Professor Granger at the teacher's table. McGonagall is sitting at her chair at the middle of the table, dressed in her usual emerald green robes and black hat.

The students in the Great Hall wait until the first years come in, and then the Sorting Hat begins its song before the Sorting begins. Jean Parkhouse becomes the first Slytherin, and after that all the names of the first years and their houses become a blur for Louis.

McGonagall stands to give her speech after the sorting, which is usually always the same.

"Welcome, welcome, to another year at Hogwarts. I trust you all had a wonderful summer holiday, but now we must educate you, and clear those fuzzies in your wonderful heads. Now, before we begin the feast, I've got a few start of term announcements. After quite some time, we will be having our fellow students from Beauxbattons and Durmstrang visiting us once again for the Yule Ball this winter. We'll tell you more details on it as we approach the date. Unless otherwise stated by a teacher for a class, the Dark Forest is off limits. Also, there have been reports of rogue Dementors around Hogsmeade, and we're doing all we can to find the creatures and get them sent back to Askaban. However, for those of you who cannot produce a Patronus, I'd suggest staying inside unless occupied by a student or staff member who can. Other than that, let the feast begin!" McGonagall waves her hand, and all sorts of delicacies appear on the platters on the tables in front of the students.

Louis digs in, grabbing the stuffed chicken wrapped in ham and the mashed potatoes in front of him. Harry, who's next to him, seems to be shoving everything around him into his mouth. It's quite entertaining to watch, actually.

"What d'you think of all this dementor stuff?" Louis asks, nudging Harry with his elbow.

"I think it's shit." Harry says with a mouth full of ham. "Especially since I can only do a Patronus right if I'm really really happy. You'll have to stay with me." Harry winks.

"How did they get here?" Louis runs a hand through his hair.

"They fl -"

"I mean  _why_  are they  _here_? What d'they want in Hogsmeade? Cauldron Cakes?"

Harry bursts out laughing.

"Merlin, my eyes are watering, fuck," Harry wipes his face.

"Who wouldn't want Cauldron Cakes, though?" Jesy, across from them, asks.

"Dunno. Speaking of which, shouldn't -" The golden platters clear themselves, and delectable desserts replace them. "Oh." Louis laughs.

"But, really, they can't just let them wander about the grounds? There has to be something preventing them from getting onto the property?" Perrie asks. Her hair is a brilliant shade of blue today, and it makes her eyes pop.

Jesy cocks her head. "Dunno. I heard, back when You-Know-Who was rising, that they were all over the grounds, looking for Sirius Black. After ‘e broke out of Askaban." She says.

"But wasn't he innocent?" Harry asks.

"Yeah, it was Peter Pettigrew who sold the Potters out -"

"Can we not," Louis begins, "talk about this? It's a bit depressing." He plays with the Yorkshire pudding on his plate.

Perrie begins filling them in on all that's happened over the summer, but Louis is only half-listening. He's heard of dementors before, but he's never had to protect himself from one. Louis knows he can produce a patronus, but he doesn't know if he'd be able to in the face of danger. Professor Verio had them practice on a dummy once, but she had told them it'd be near impossible to perform the charm it at all. Once Louis produced a corporeal fox after a few tries, she had them actually practice.

Soon, the golden platters clear themselves, and McGonagall sends them off to bed. Harry throws his arms around Louis's shoulders as they wait for one of the staircases to move so they can get to the Slytherin dungeons. When it stops, Louis and Harry follow the other Slytherins over to the wall that leads to their common room.

"Password this year is  _Microscopium_." Perrie says, leading the first years to their dorms. Louis follows Stan and Calum up to their room, where his things (and Callida) are already waiting. Dusty is slinking around near the window between Harry and Louis's beds. Sometimes, when Louis can't sleep, he'll sit by the window and read by the light of the moon.

The old green curtains still hang over their four-poster beds, though the little silver stars on them are fading. Louis pulls off his robe, tossing it by his trunk. His pyjamas are at the very bottom of his trunk, of course, so Louis has to pull everything out to find them. He doesn't really care much if Stan or Calum sees him getting dressed, and Harry's already seen him fully naked, so he just strips off his uniform and changes right there.

Harry lays back on Louis's bed. "D'you want to go and see Zayn's common room?"

"We can go tomorrow morning, we haven't got class till noon, and neither has Zayn." Louis flops back with him.

"'m tired." Harry rolls over, resting his head on Louis's chest.

"You're not staying with me, not on our first night, no way." Louis shakes his head.

Harry frowns, burrowing in closer to him. "But you're so cozy, and you know I don't sleep well alone."

"You okay there, Harry?" Calum asks, already climbing under the sheets.

"He must be having one of those clingy nights, he just wants cuddles." Louis hears Stan say.

"Yeah, that's why he's got a cat. That's not what I'm here for, now get off." Louis grumbles.

"Fine, fine." Harry climbs into his own bed, and Louis does the same. " _Acerbia_!" He waves his wand, and the lights in their dorm go out.

xxx

It’s far too bright.

"Haven't you got class, Lou?" Calum is asking.

Louis groans. "No, me 'n Haz aren't taking Astronomy this year... go away and let us sleep." He mutters.

Louis realizes now that he's curled around Harry's chest, with his arm wrapped around his friend's waist. He's snoring softly. The clock on the wall says they've got around another half hour of sleep if they want to go and see Zayn. He drifts off, hoping he won't oversleep.

When he wakes up, Louis can hear Harry singing in the shower. Smiling to himself, he climbs out of bed and pulls a sweatshirt over his head, sliding his wand into the pocket in the front. Using a charm, Louis unlocks the door to the bathroom and stands in front of the mirror. Louis runs a hand through his hair, smiling as Harry belts out some old song from the Weird Sisters.

"Lou?" Harry breaks off his singing to poke his head out. Louis sees that he's styled his hair into a mohawk with shampoo.

Louis can’t help the smile that breaks over his face. "Morning."

"Leave the messy fringe, I like it that way." Harry suggests.

"Says Mr. Quiff." Louis gumbles, and Harry laughs. "What's that smell?"

"Oh, Gemma gave it to me. 's just soap."

"It smells like dead flowers and old parchment." Louis wrinkles his nose.

"Well, thanks. 're we going to see Z?" Harry asks.

"Yeah, 's soon as you get your lazy arse out of the shower." Louis snaps.

Immediately, the shower turns off. Harry climbs out, naked as the day he was born, with a smirk on his face. Louis averts his gaze.

"Be a little chaste, would you?" Louis groans, hoisting himself up to sit on the counter.

" _Seinvolvant_!" Harry mutters, and a towel flies off the counter beside Louis and wraps itself around Harry's waist.

"Did you teach yourself to do that, love?" Louis coos.

Harry laughs, shaking out his long hair. "Professor Malfoy told me it after I went skinny dipping in the lake last year. He was out for a run when I got out, and. Well."

Louis's jaw drops. "Merlin, he saw you? Oh my god, that was one of the best nights ever." He recalls fondly.

Harry giggles. "Yeah, he closed his eyes and got all ' _awwwww_ ,  _Styles_!  _Come_   _on_!' and I just kept saying sorry."

"Right, well, get dressed, we've got to go and see Zayn, so." Louis says, going back into their dorm to pull on slippers.

"He's not taking Astronomy?" Harry asks. "I thought we were supposed to have it with Ravenclaw."

"We are, but Zayn gets to 'patrol' instead of class on the first day. 'm sure he can make another prefect do it." Louis shrugs.

Harry gets dressed, pulling a jumper over his shower-wet hair. Louis knows that the Head Boy and Girls' common room is somewhere around Professor Slughorn's office, so he and Harry venture up the huge, winding spiral staircase up to the seventh floor. A portrait of Albus Dumbledore, the last Headmaster, is hanging by a large stained-glass window on the wall.

"Hello, Harry, Louis. Looking for someone? I believe Professor Slughorn's just gone out to the Three Broomsticks, you've just missed him." Dumbledore says good-naturedly.

"Actually, we're looking for the Head Boy and Girls' common room, d'you have any idea where it's at, sir?" Harry asks.

"That would be right behind me, Mr. Tomlinson. Usually I'd have to ask for the password, but your friend Mr. Malik told me you'd be coming." Dumbledore smiles.

"Thank you, sir." Louis says.

"Be good, now." The portrait swings open, and Louis and Harry get their first glimpse of Zayn's common room.

It's big for just two people to share, with four big couches surrounding the fireplace, and one large, squishy chair in the corner. There's a desk up against the window, with a bunch of quills and a few bottles of ink. Louis and Harry climb up to the dorm on the right, where a  _Z_  is painted onto the door. He knocks on the door, and Zayn opens it right away.

"Morning, lads. Come in." Zayn steps aside, and Harry and Louis step into his room.

His bed is huge, a lot bigger than the ones in Harry and Louis's dorm. The duvet is bright blue, with a large bronze-colored eagle in the middle for Ravenclaw. Opposite the bed is a large bureau, with a few bottles of cologne already on resting on the top. Louis flops on the bed, sighing loudly and his back cracks and pops.

"Did I tell you guys the password yet or...?" Zayn cocks his head, running his hand through his hair, which is turquoise today.

Harry shakes his head. "Dumbledore let us in. I think he likes Lou. Plus, he said you told him we were coming." He says, looking around the room.

"I don't remember saying it to him, maybe he overheard me and Perrie or something." Zayn shrugs.

"What classes have Liam and Niall got?" Louis asks.

"Uhh, Transfigurations with Finnigan and Granger." Zayn says after a moment.

"I bet Finnigan'll blow something up first class. He always does." Louis giggles. "McGonagall told me he had a special talent for making shit explode."

"I heard about that, yeah," Harry laughs.

"Guys." Zayn says seriously.

"Hm?" Louis mumbles into one of the pillows. Zayn sits next to him, and Harry sits on his other side.

"Is... Is Liam Payne gay?" Zayn asks quietly.

"Dunno, I've never seen him with  _anyone_. Why d'you ask?" Louis shrugs.

"Cause... I want to ask him out." He all but whispers.

Louis sits up, eyes widening. Until just now, he'd been almost sure Zayn had a thing for Jesy or Perrie. Or Leigh. But not  _Liam_. He's not surprised that Zayn likes a boy, cause, well, they've snogged a fair amount of times, they've fucked quite a few times as well, they even had a threesome with Harry once. Louis didn't think Zayn would go for someone so... muscly.

"Really?" Harry asks.

"Yeah," Zayn flushes pink, "I think he's cute."

"When are you asking him?" Louis asks, resting his head on Zayn's shoulder.

"I was gonna do it today, actually. D'you think we should go to Madam Puddifoot's?" Zayn scratches the back of his neck.

Harry shakes his head. "Maybe that's too soon, all the couples go there. Reckon it might be a little too soon. The Three Broomsticks has got that little booth in the corner, it's all secluded and such. You could take him there?"

Louis narrows his eyes at Harry. "How d'you know that?"

"Ah," Harry blushes. "I've been there a few times with Nick Grimshaw from Hufflepuff, and he's on the WWN... We're, uh, friends, I guess."

"That twat from the Breakfast Show? When have you ever got time to listen to  _that_ rubbish?" Louis asks quickly.  _Nick_.

"I like to listen to it in the shower, when I'm getting ready." Harry says sheepishly.

"In the shower when you're  _naked_? D'you get off to his  _voice_? Isn't he, like three years older than us, anyway?" Louis wrinkles his nose, and Harry blushes harder.

"No, I don't - I'd never - No. And yeah, he came from Durmstrang when he was fourteen but had to start as a first year. He tutors me in Divination."

"I can tutor you in Divination..." Louis mutters as Zayn begins to speak.

"D'you like, fancy him?" Zayn asks.

"No... I just... I like his voice and stuff." Harry blushes.

Louis makes an involuntary gagging sound in his throat, running a hand through his hair. He ignores Zayn and Harry as they begin talking about Liam again, letting that horrible truth fill his thoughts again.

 _Harry fancies someone else_.

Someone else.  _Someone_  being a particular asshole called Nick Grimshaw. Louis has only talked to Nick a few times, but he's heard that he's an arse. He once saw Nick shove a third year to the ground just because he was running late for Potions.

Worse than that, it hurts that Harry doesn't like Louis like Louis likes him. Harry is Louis's sun and stars, he'd do anything for his Hazza. But Harry likes somebody else. Louis could scream.

Instead, he stands, exiting Zayn's room and exploring his common room. There's a set of doors that lead to a balcony overlooking the courtyard and the Quidditch pitch. Wind blows through his hair, ruffling his fringe. He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes. He can hear students running through the courtyard, laughing and yelling nonsensical things. Perrie comes out a minute later, her hair pale purple and pulled up messily.

"You okay?" She slides a hand around his waist. "Has Harry done something?"

"Hm? What d'you mean Harry?" Louis cocks his head.

"Dunno, I just thought - usually it's him doing the therapy stuff, so -"

"No, nothing's, like,  _wrong_ , just. I - you know, don't you? I think you told me you knew in fifth year." Louis asks.

Perrie's grip tightens around his waist. "Of course I knew. 's pretty obvious."

"Ah, fuck it. I refuse to be sad. It's the first day! Let's have some fun!" Louis grins.

"Okay, what d'you want to do?" Perrie asks.

"Ooh! I didn't tell you - Zayn's asking out Liam Payne." Louis says. Then, as an afterthought, he adds, "Don't tell him I told you that,"

Perrie snorts, tugging her jumper closer to her body. "I knew he had a thing for Payne. Can we go back in? 'm freezing."

Louis rolls his eyes and nods, and following Perrie inside. Zayn and Harry are sitting on one of the couches, laughing about something. "Well, hel _lo_ , boys. Miss me?" Louis plops down next to Zayn.

"I was thinking about going to Hogsmeade tonight while Zayn and Liam are on their daaaate." Harry taunts.

"Like, with who?" Louis asks.

"Whoever." Harry shrugs. "Perrie, d'you and the girls want t' come?"

"Not really. Have a boy's night out, Lou!" Perrie saunters back up to her dorm.

"Just us, then? Oh, and Niall. If he can come." Harry says.

"'s fine with me." Louis shrugs. Harry gives him a huge smile, and Louis feels his heart swell. Harry's so sweet.

xxx

Zayn rolls his eyes. Louis is staring at Harry like he's the fucking sun. Perrie comes out of her room, dressed in her green-lined Syltherin robes. She's changed her hair again, it's navy blue. Zayn curses and changes his own hair to black, as his was dark blue, too.

He hopes Liam will say yes. He's never seen Liam with anyone, so maybe he doesn't know if he's gay, or straight, or what. How should he ask him? Are flowers too weird? Does Liam even like him like that? Well, Liam always compliments his hair, or his eyes, once he even said Zayn's cheekbones were so nice it wasn't even fair.

Zayn is torn between thinking Liam is a cute little puppy that he'd like to cuddle and kiss on the nose a lot, or a huge, muscly, Quidditch player that Zayn would like to have him fuck him into a wall. Maybe both. Both is good. Plus, Liam's generally a really good person, and Zayn likes that.

"I think I'm gonna try to catch Liam between Potions, we've got it together on Mondays, I think." Zayn stands.

"Oooh, Loverboy!" Perrie calls. Zayn snarls at her, and he can feel his canines beginning to lengthen. He cracks his neck, taking a deep breath to calm down.

Being Metamorphmagi, both Perrie and Zayn can transform into the animal that is determined by their traits. Perrie can take the form of a sleek and fast Gazelle. Zayn's only seen her do it twice, she doesn't like having four legs. Zayn's used to it. The tail, he can live with. But the fleas - they're murder.

He rolls his eyes at her, turning back to Harry and Louis. "See you guys later, I'll send a Patronus or something to let you know how it goes."

"Good luck!" Louis calls as he walks out the portrait door.

"What do you need good luck for, Mr. Malik?" The portrait of Dumbledore asks as it swings closed behind Zayn. He turns, smiling sheepishly.

"Ah, I'm asking out a boy I like. Dunno if he likes me that way, y'know?" Zayn scratches the back of his neck. "Oops, sorry, shouldn't be talking to a former Headmaster so casually." He adds, but Dumbledore shakes head with a kind smile.

"I'd take my chances, I bet he'll say yes." Dumbledore says.

"Thanks, Professor." Zayn gives him a wave as the staircase starts to move.

He starts the treck from the seventh floor down to the dungeons. He catches sight of Liam's light brown hair and the  scarlet hood on his robe on one of the staircases just below him, and calls down to tell him to wait. He hurries down to where Liam has stopped by a suit of armor.

Zayn grins. Hey,"

"Hullo, Z. I like your hair today." Liam grins as they begin to descend to the dungeons.

"T-thanks," Zayn blushes. "I was wonder -" He starts.

"Would you -" Liam says at the same time, and they laugh.

"You go."

"D'you - would you consider - d'you want to go out? Like, to Hogsmeade or something? Just us two? Like, a date?" Liam asks sheepishly.

"Wh -" Zayn frowns.

"You don't have to, 's just -"

"I wanted to ask first." Zayn giggles.

"So... So that's a yes, right?" Liam asks.

"Yeah, definitely. I was gonna ask you if you wanted to go to the Three Broomsticks anyway." Zayn says.

"It's a date, then." Liam nods, grinning at the ground.

Merlin, he's so  _cute_.

Zayn bumps Liam's shoulder playfully as they start back down the stairs, a stupid, huge grin on his face. Once they reach the Potions classroom, they catch Professor Malfoy cursing on his way inside.

"I'm always fuckin' late," He mutters, hurrying past Liam and Zayn.

Zayn looks over at Liam, snorting. Liam laughs, following Malfoy inside. Stan has saved seats at his table for Liam and Zayn, where each of them sit down. Calum is sat with them.

"You're late." Calum leans over and whispers.

"Well, so's Malfoy." Liam makes a face. Calum looks over at Zayn, raising his eyebrows.

Zayn narrows his eyes at him. "What?"

"You're Head Boy. Aren't you supposed t' keep everything in line and all that shit?" Calum asks, and Stan snorts.

"Doesn't mean I have to keep myself in line, Cal." Zayn winks at him.

"Okay, sorry I was late, had stuff to do with my kids. Anyway, we'll be going over the properties of the Wolfsbane potion. Can anyone tell me what another name for the most important ingredient is?" Malfoy asks. Jesy's hand raises slowly.

"Uh... monkshood?" She says warily.

"Don't sound so unsure of yourself, Nelson, you're right." Malfoy laughs. "And what does the potion do?" Zayn raises his hand. "Anyone? Anyone at all?" He looks over Zayn, but he swears he sees Malfoy wink as he peers out at the students. "Ah. Carraway."

Emma Carraway sits up a little straighter, and begins to speak. "It relieves the symptoms of, er, lycanthropy. It doesn't cure it, though."

"Correct! I only let the seventh years make this, as wolfsbane is very, very poisonous. So you all have to promise me you'll all be careful, yeah?" A few "yes"'s are muttered. "Yes  _sir_."

"Yes sir." The class says in unison.

"Good. If you'd all kindly open your books to page three hundred and ninety four, we can begin." Malfoy says. "Does everyone have their books yet? I know some of you ordered them by owl post, so." A few people raise their hands, and Malfoy tosses them books.

"There are a lot of things I'd like to be doing right now, but learning about werewolf potion is not one of them." Stan grumbles.

Twenty minutes later, each of them (paired into twos) have the potion beginning to brew in their cauldrons. Zayn looks over as Calum adds something to his cauldron; it fizzes, then explodes in both his and Stan’s face. Malfoy comes over, clearly holding back a laugh.

"And that, class, is exactly what you don't want to do. Did you add the wolfsbane too early, Hood?" Malfoy asks, walking over to Calum. He and Stan have begun to mumble things that Zayn can't hear; he fights the urge to giggle.

"I can take them to the hospital wing, sir." Liam offers.

"Very well. Zayn, you take Hood, Payne, you take the other one." Malfoy says. "Now, what..."

Zayn drowns him out as he wraps an arm around Calum’s waist. He mutters a thanks, and Zayn and Liam lead him and Stan out of the classroom.

Zayn laughs. "What the hell did you do, Cal?"

"Jus' add it bit too 'rly, 's all." Calum mumbles.

Liam looks over at Zayn and raises an eyebrow, and the two of them burst out laughing as they ascend to the hospital wing. They find Madam Pomfrey talking to McGonagall outside the door, and she raises an eyebrow when she sees the lads.

"Come in, come in. Minerva, I'll catch up with you after this, sorry!" She ushers them inside. "What's happened? Here, sit them down." Madam Pomfrey motions to the cots.

Zayn gently lays Calum down, laughing when he reaches up and strokes his face. Liam lays Stan on the cot beside him.

"So... does getting wolfsbane in your face... make you high?" Zayn asks, and Liam giggles.

"No, Mr. Malik, it causes uncontrollable laughter, mumbling, and, in some cases, the unstoppable flow of secrets from the mouth." Madam Pomfrey explains.

Liam wrinkles his nose. "How pleasant."

"You two can get back to class, I'll have Hood and Lucas back by lunch." Madam Pomfrey waves them off.

Zayn says a polite goodbye and grabs Liam's wrist, leading him through the archway and out of the hospital wing. They take their time back to Potions, where Malfoy gives them each ten points for helping their friends. They take their places at their table, but Malfoy dismisses class early.

"What," Malfoy begins putting the ingredients back on the shelves, "the  _hell_  is wrong with that Calum kid? He's blown something up every fucking year - pretend you didn't hear that."

"Cal’s a special kid." Liam laughs, reaching up to put one of the little bottles on the top shelf, which Zayn can't reach. Zayn hands him the next bottle with a glare, and he laughs again, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Well, he's a good student, so I'll just put up with it. Now, I know there's no way for me to say this without sounding like a prick, so, get out of my classroom." Malfoy says. Liam and Zayn laugh.

"Yes sir. Cheers." Zayn waves.

"What've you got third?" Liam asks as they head for the staircases.

"Uh, Defense Against the Dark Arts with Harry and Lou." Zayn says.

"What's up with those two?" Liam asks.

"Dunno, it's complicated, y'know?" Zayn shrugs.

"Mm." Liam nods, "D'you think it'd be wrong for us to skip the rest of the classes we've got and go to Hogsmeade now?"

Zayn cocks his head, thinking. "Wrong, yes. Possible, absolutely."

"Think you could take the form of Verio or summat and take me to the Three Broomsticks for tutoring?" Liam jokes.

"Oh, yeah." Zayn takes the form of their youngest Professor. "Payne, do we need to go over the Jarvey  _again_?" He asks in her voice.

"Switch back, 's a bit scary when you're a girl." Liam laughs. Zayn does as he asks.

"Do you have a problem with me being a girl, Liam?" Zayn raises his eyebrows.

"Well, I kinda like you as a guy, so." Liam says sheepishly.

Zayn rolls his eyes. "Oh,  _that's_  what it is."

"Shut up." Liam frowns. "See you at lunch?"

"Yup. Later, Li." Zayn smiles, clapping Liam on the shoulder.

He heads up to the third floor, and catches up to Harry and Louis on the way. They've just come from Transfiguration with Professor Finnigan. Both Professor Granger and Finnigan teach Transfiguration, they like to switch off each class. Zayn prefers Hermione, as he knows her a lot better, and Finnigan tends to get off topic easily.

"So," Louis bumbs his shoulder, "Liam said yes, I presume?"

"Well, he, uh -"

"Wait! Don't tell me!" Louis says dramatically. "He said he didn't want to ruin your friendship."

Zayn's jaw drops. "You knob, he asked me!"

"Oh." Harry laughs as Louis blushes. "Aiden!" Louis calls.

"Hey, mate, how was your summer?" Aiden jogs over, and Louis pulls him into a hug. Harry rolls his eyes, and  _oh_. Zayn smirks. Harry's  _jealous_.

"'s been good, me and Haz went to France, which was great, and then I spent the rest of it with Harry, but it wasn't very exciting. You?" Louis says. Harry's jaw drops, and Zayn fights the urge to laugh out loud.

"I went to Italy, and let me tell you, everyone there is gorgeous." Aiden smirks.

" _Everyone_? I thought you -" Louis begins.

"I guess not. Had this fling with this muggle girl there called Isabella -  _wow_." Aiden gives him a wink. "You doing anything tomorrow night? We can catch up." The Hufflepuff offers. Zayn knows for a fact that Louis and Harry were going to practice their Patronuses.

"I'm all clear, mate. Three Broomsticks?" Louis asks. Harry frowns.

"Sure. See you later, Lou. Cheers, lads!" Aiden calls as he heads off to his next class. Louis sees Harry's frown.

"What's wrong, Haz?" He asks, wrapping an arm around Harry's waist. Zayn watches them, transfixed.

"I thought you were gonna help me with my Patronus tomorrow after classes." Harry says, his eyebrows knitting.

"Well, yeah, but - I haven't seen Aiden in ages, and -"

"But we had plans." Harry says.

"Haz, don't give me those puppy eyes," Louis's shoulders droop. "I'll go with Aiden and be back so I can teach you. Okay?"

"I - yeah." Harry shrugs.

Zayn rolls his eyes, sick of hearing their little argument. He speeds up, catching up with Jesy and Perrie on their way into Professor Verio's classroom. Verio is a tall witch, with long, dark hair and kind dark eyes. She likes to mess with them during class.

The classes until lunch pass by slowly, and the amount of times Zayn's checked the clock isn't helping. Louis and Harry are passing notes about the Chudley Canons VS. Vratsa Vultures match on Friday, and Zayn couldn't care less. He catches Perrie's eye and sticks his tongue out at her. Perrie giggles and makes a face back.

After Defense Against the Dark arts, Zayn has Divination, which is all the way up in Trelawney's tower. He makes his way up with Ant and Danny, two cousins that Zayn got close to in third year. The Divination tower is always so warm, and the students have to sit at tiny tables together, where they can hardly even breathe. They can barely stay awake as Trelawney goes over tea leaves and dregs.

Zayn and his friends drink their tea, and swirl the dregs around like they're told. Trelawney comes over and grabs Zayn's cup, then gasps.

"My dear boy," She begins. Zayn rolls his eyes. She always has a death threat at the beginning of the year. "Something is going to happen to your closest friend... something very bad... it's not clear, but... I think I see... the Grim."

"Ah." Zayn nods, and Trelawney pats his shoulder.

"Take care of your friends, boy." She saunters off, her skirts swaying as she walks. Zayn snorts.

"Somebody's gotten a Grim once a term since third fucking year," Ant says under his breath.

Danny shakes his head. "I don't think she's ever predicted something right, man."

"No, she has. 've seen it. In our fifth year, I came up to ask for extra credit, and her eyes got all glassy, and her voice got really raspy, and she said 'the ones in scarlet' would triumph over all. I didn't know what she meant, but Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup that year, remember?" Zayn asks.

"What have you ever needed extra credit for? You've been reading at a N.E.W.T. level since you were eight!" Danny's eyebrows knit together.

"Yeah, really." Ant nods.

"Whatever. It's so stuffy in here, I feel faint." Zayn makes a dramatic swooning motion, and his friends laugh.

"She's coming." Ant hisses.

Zayn is suddenly very interested in his tea leaves.

By the time lunch rolls around, Zayn is so hungry he could eat a hippogriff. He plops down at a table with Louis and Liam, shoving everything around him into his mouth. Harry and Nick pass by them as Louis is recounting his Transfigurations class. Harry waves, but Louis ignores him. Zayn wonders if there's something going on between them.

Harry and Louis never fight. Well, they fight all the time, but not, like,  _fight_. They're probably just being stupid about something unreasonable. It's most likely about Louis blowing Harry off to hang out with Aiden.

"You okay, Lou?" Zayn asks.

Louis has been holding his fork so tightly his knuckles have turned white. "Hm?" He looks down and lets go of the fork. "Right. I'm bloody peachy. Fucking  _Nick_   _Grimshaw_. Hate him." His upper lip curls.

"What's he got to do with anything?" Liam asks.

"Not much. Just hate the prick." Louis shrugs, chewing his salad rather forcefully.

"He doesn't like you much, either. Says you're full of yourself cause you're dad wasn't a wizard." Liam says.

"But somehow you've got four witches for sisters. How does  _that_  work?" Zayn shakes his head.

"My mum had her hands full way before the little ones came along. Doesn't help that I was an acci -" He breaks off as Niall comes over. "Hey, Ni."

“A fucking owl  _shat_  in my cereal this morning.”

Louis, Zayn, and Liam burst out laughing, and Niall glares at them. 

"How was Trelawney?" Liam asks.

"Oh - Guys, Trelawney said something terrible was gonna happen to one or more of my closest friends, so." Zayn shrugs.

"That's no good." Louis says with a mouth full of sandwich.

"Did she say who?" Niall asks.

"If she said who, I would've told you, wouldn't I?" Zayn takes a bite of his apple, raising his eyebrows at Niall. Niall frowns.

Louis looks over at Zayn’s schedule, which he’s just laid on the table. "What've you got next?"

"Mmm, Art. You're taking the same electives as me, Lou." Zayn says.

"Right. We better go, then. Sanderling hates when we're late." Louis says, standing.

"He hates when  _you're_  late." Zayn reminds Louis. He looks over at Harry, sitting over with Nick and a few other Hufflepuffs. "Should we go and get Harry?"

Louis looks at Harry and Nick, and his lip twitches. "No, if he wants to be late, that's fine with me. It'll be Grimshaw's fault, anyway." He sneers.

"Lou." Zayn warns. He looks over at Liam, who's smiling up at him. "See ya after classes."

"See ya." Liam pokes his tummy, and he giggles.

"Ugh." Louis groans as he sees Harry laughing at something Nick said. "Disgusting. He's disgusting. Get him away from m - our Harry."

"Let's go." Zayn wraps an arm around his shoulders and leads him out of the Great Hall.

Art classes are on the fifth floor, and it usually wouldn't take long to get up there, but since they're empty, the staircases have begun moving everywhere. By the time Louis and Zayn finally reach the Art classroom, they're two minutes from being late. Sanderling has them sit at the table closest to the back, with one empty chair. Harry comes in five minutes late, and hurries to sit next to Louis.

"Styles." Sanderling is facing the blackboard, writing this year's curriculum on it.

"Yes sir?" Harry squeaks.

"It's only the first day, and I kinda like you, so I'll let it slide that you're late. Still, five points off. Clear?" Sanderling turns around and leans on Calum and Michael's table. Calum snorts and disguises it as a cough.

Harry hangs his head. "Sorry, sir."

Sanderling turns back to the board and begins to write again. Harry looks over at Louis, and they whisper something to each other, then laugh. Zayn rolls his eyes.

"'re you two alright, then?" Zayn whispers to Louis. Louis nods, running a hand through his hair.

After Art, they have Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. It's still raining, so Louis bewitches a huge umbrella to follow him, Zayn, and Harry as they walk towards the Dark Forest. Zayn tucks himself between Harry and Louis to suck up their warmth, pulling his robes tighter around him. It's already cold, and it's only September.

Hagrid leads them into an empty greenhouse, where there's a Jarvey waiting in a cage. Zayn knows what they do. They're like overgrown ferrets that are really sarcastic and rude. As soon as the class crowds in, the Jarvey (Hagrid says he's called Sean) begins making fun of Jesy’s hair. Jesy blushes furiously, running her fingers through her hair.

Class ends soon, and Zayn hurries to his common room with Louis. Louis makes him get in the shower, then has him make his hair plain black. After a long time deciding what shirt to wear, Zayn ends up forcefully tugging an old band T-shirt over his head.

After Louis messes with his hair a bit, he deems Zayn ready for his date. He heads downstairs, where Liam is sitting on the stairs by the Great Hall. He's dressed in a plain white T-shirt and Zayn can see his biceps, and. Well. Zayn wants those arms to hold him down and fuck him into the mattress so hard he won't be able to walk for weeks.

Liam grins when he sees Zayn, so hard his eyes crinkle at the corners in the most adorable way. He's absolutely  _beaming_.

"Hey." Zayn says as casually as he can.

Liam stands. "Hi."

"So," Zayn scratches the back of his neck, "d'you think I should take you in as, like Trelawney or summat -"

"Nah, let's just wing it." Liam shrugs. "If we get caught, we'll be in detention together, so it won't be so bad."

Zayn blushes. "You're right. C'mon." Liam throws an arm around Zayn's shoulders, and he smiles at the ground.

"'re Harry and Louis coming? We'll rat them out as well if we get caught. Detention'll be fun." Liam says with a huge smile, and Zayn laughs.

"I think they're coming, but it we get caught - which we won't - we can't tell anyone they're there. It's against the laws of friendship." Zayn says.

"Ah." Liam nods. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Zayn giggles as they start outside.

It's a bit chilly out, and Zayn wishes he had thought to bring a jumper or summat to keep him warm. Liam, he finds out, is a bit like a space heater, so he stays close to him as they stroll down the path to Hogsmeade.

Zayn has loved Hogsmeade since he first stepped foot in the tiny wizarding village in his third year. It's so...  _cute_. The first time he saw it was in December, and it was cold and snowy and perfect. Back then, Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card; with little thatched cottages and shops that were all covered in a layer of crisp snow, and there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees.

Now, there are cherry blossom petals all over the little cobblestone streets, and they look like delicate pink snowflakes as they flutter to the ground, and there are orange flowers by the door of each shop that are slithering around in their vases. In the middle of the street, in the small town square, a small fountain trickles slowly with cool, clear water.

Liam leads him inside the Three Broomsticks, where Madam Rosmerta sits them in the little secluded booth in the corner.

For a little while, Liam and Zayn don't say anything, they just sit in the booth and look at each other nervously.

"So," Liam begins. "are you as nervous as I am?"

Zayn laughs breathlessly, and nods. "I think so. Uh, d'you - d'you want to split a butterbeer?"

"Yeah, here she comes." Liam nods at Madam Rosmerta.

"What can I get you two?" She asks with a smile.

"Just a butterbeer please. With, uh, with two straws." Zayn says.

"Course." She heads back behind the bar.

Liam rolls his eyes. "I used to have a crush on her."

"She and Barbara are the closest I've ever come to liking a girl. If that gives you any idea." Zayn snorts.

"You've never liked a girl?" Liam cocks his head.

"Well, I have, y'know, but not like - nevermind." Zayn's eyes widen as he stops himself, and he blushes furiously, looking down.

Liam laughs. "What?"

"Nothing, 's not important." Zayn holds in a giggle as Liam leans down to look at him.

"Well, now I've got to know. If it's not important, just tell me, Z." Liam pokes his cheek.

"I never really liked a girl the way I like you... it's creepy, I know." Zayn says quietly.

"Aw, no, 's sweet. I've never.. really, well, been with anyone. 'm a relationship virgin." Liam says sheepishly, and Zayn bursts out laughing.

When he's calmed down, Zayn wipes his tears on his T-shirt. "A  _relationship virgin_? What the fuck?" He laughs some more.

"I mean, I had a "girlfriend" when I was, like, six, but - that doesn't count, right?" Liam cocks his head.

"No, Liam. That definitely doesn't count." Zayn shakes his head.

Madam Rosmerta comes over and places a large mug of butterbeer in front of them. There are two straws poking out of the foam, and little pink hearts are floating out of the glass, then disappearing as they drift towards Liam and Zayn.

"Have some." Liam says.

Right. Zayn leans forward and wraps his lips around the straw closest to him. Zayn  _adores_  butterbeer. He thinks it tastes like butterscotch and Christmas and something sweet that he can never put his finger on. But it's warm and sweet and good, and Liam is leaning in to take a sip from the other straw, and their eyes meet, and they both burst out laughing.

A bit of butterbeer spurts out of Liam's nose, and he coughs and sputters as he laughs. Zayn rubs his back until he's calmed down, and he takes a deep breath as Zayn tries to stifle his giggles.

"Quit laughing, I could've died right there." Zayn can see that Liam's holding back a smile.

"Then I would've saved you, yeah?" Zayn rolls his eyes.

"I'm sure you would've." Liam nods, raising a doubtful eyebrow.

"That's rude, you know. Giving me those evil eyes." Zayn says, narrowing his eyes.

"You're one to talk about evil eyes. I've seen you get angry, 's pretty scary." Liam says.

"Mm. I kinda like Changing, it's like shedding off a very heavy layer of fur or summat. But, like, when I do change, everything gets a bit... fuzzy. No, not fuzzy, like, mulled over. I just don't really care about the stuff around me. Y'kno - of course you don't know, what am I saying?" Zayn laughs.

"Heeeey," Liam frowns, leaning forward to take another sip. Zayn does the same, and their noses brush together.

Zayn giggles, pulling away. "What electives are you taking?" He asks, wiping the foam off his mouth.

"Uh, Earth Magic, Magical Theory, and Art." Liam says after a moment of thinking.

"I've got Art as well, maybe we'll have it together." Zayn raises his eyebrows. "If we're lucky." He winks.

"I have it on Thursdays," Liam says.

"I had it today, but 'm not sure when else I've got it. I lost my schedule." Zayn says sheepishly.

"Head Boy Zayn Malik has  _lost his schedule_?" Liam asks, scandalized, and Zayn laughs.

"Well, I'm half sure Lou bewitched it so the classes are switched around, so I put it down in the common room after class, and. Yeah." Zayn shrugs.

"Naughty naughty." Liam shakes his head. "Fuck, Granger's here."

Zayn looks over. Professor Granger and a pretty girl with fiery red hair have just walked in. They're arm in arm, and they're laughing and smiling. Zayn and Liam sink down into the booth as they pass, but Hermione doesn't look over. The other girl, however, does see them. She seems to know they're students, and she raises an eyebrow and smirks as she passes by. Her and Professor Granger sit at the bar.

"Who d'you reckon she is?" Liam asks.

Zayn looks over at them. "Probably one of her friends. D'you think she'll tell?"

"Looked like she thought it was funny that we snuck out. If she does, you're Granger's favorite, right? You can get out of it." Liam shrugs.

Zayn cocks his head. "I suppose."

As Zayn watches, Hermione stands and heads for the bathroom, and her friend walks over to his and Liam's booth. Zayn hits Liam's arm until he sees her, and they smile at her innocently.

She smirks. "Well, hel _lo_ , boys."

"Hello there." Zayn smiles. "Need anything?"

"You're students, aren't you? You snuck out." She raises an eyebrow.

"Wha - of course not! We, uh, tutoring -" Liam sputters. The girl laughs.

"How'd you do it?" She asks.

Zayn cocks his head. "Uh, who're you?"

"Oh, right, sorry. 'm Ginny, Hermione's sister-in-law." She holds out a hand, and Zayn shakes it. "So, how'd you sneak out? I remember McGonagall was pretty stern about coming out here unsupervised."

"You won't tell, right?" Zayn asks, and Ginny shakes her head. "We sort of, like, just did it. Just walked in."

"Really?" Ginny asks.

"Mhm. 's not hard." Liam nods.

"I used to try to sneak out all the time, but Snape used to catch us. My friends and I started using the one-eyed witch passageway instead." She says.

"The what?" Zayn asks.

"On the third floor, that ugly statue's got a tunnel that leads to Honeydukes behind it. Password's  _Dissendium_." Ginny says.

"Thanks." Liam says slowly.

"I should go, it was nice meeting you two." Ginny grins. "Be careful, I'll try to take her out the back."

She walks back over to the bar and sits. Zayn looks at Liam wide-eyed, and they both burst out laughing. "We should go. We should definitely go." He says.

Liam nods vigorously. "Yeah. Honeydukes?"

"Mhm."

Zayn is still amazed every time he goes into Honeydukes. Shelves upon shelves of everything imaginable line the shop, with creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows, a huge barrel of Fizzing Whizzbees, and another barrel of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. On the other wall, there are rows of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps, Ice Mice, toad-shaped peppermint creams, fragile sugar-spun quills and exploding bonbons.

On the counter, there's a large bowl of brightly colored toffee and several large lollipops in various colors. Rows of magical chocolate bars line the countertop, mint green biting mints rest in a bowl, and the buttons on the ancient-looking cash register appear to be made of raspberry ice. Jars of different colored candies line the walls, and bluebell-colored bubbles are floating around the whole shop.

Students are everywhere; talking, laughing, and buying all sorts of sweets.

The whole shop smells like sugar and happiness, and Zayn can't help but buy a large clump of candyfloss that's making itself by the counter. He munches on it as he and Liam look around, and Liam has some too.

He ends up getting Harry and Louis each a few Pumpkin Pasties, which he magics to their dorm in a brown paper bag with a note with a bunch of hearts on it. Hopefully it'll make it to their dorm safely. Zayn isn't very good with dispersing spells.

In Zonko's Joke Shop, Zayn drops a few galleons on sugar-quills (he buys eighteen to last him the first term), and one large Skiving Snackbox (courtesy of Weasley's Wizard Wheeze's). He sends them to his own dorm, and he and Liam stroll down the little streets of Hogsmeade.

"Were you surprised when you got your letter?" Zayn asks through a mouthful of candyfloss.

"Kinda. I'd been doing weird stuff since I was four, and my mom thought I was mental or summat. But I got the letter, and it was just a big  _ooooh_!" Liam says.

"Were your sisters confused?"

"They'd been confused since the first time I changed the channels on the telly without a remote." Liam and Zayn laugh.

"Zayn!"

Zayn looks back. Louis and Harry are waving at them from the path down to the Shrieking Shack. There’s a beanie on Louis's head that Zayn is almost sure belongs to Harry, a green and grey one with the Slytherin crest on the front. Both of them are walking close enough that they could be attached at the hip and it wouldn’t make a difference. Zayn flashes them a smile, and they meet in the middle. Right away, Louis spots their candy.

"Ooh, thanks, mate." Louis takes a bit of candyfloss.

"Sure, you can have some." Zayn glares at him, and Liam laughs.

Harry runs a hand through his hair. "Did you two go to the Three Broomsticks yet? I thought you'd be there longer."

"Oh, god, we were there, and we had out butterbeer and all, and fucking Granger and her friend came in. And then Hermione -"

"Don't," Louis shakes his head. "call her Hermione. Makes me feel weird."

"Shush, Lou. So Granger went to the bathroom, and her friend - Ginny - came over and asked if we'd snuck out, and we told her yeah and she asked us how, and then she told us about this passageway from that one-eyed witch statue on the third floor, you know the one by the ugly giraffe painting, and she said there's a password, and it'll open, and there's a tunnel that leads to the Honeydukes cellar." Zayn explains.

"You're joking." Louis says slowly.

"We haven't been back to try it -"

"What's the password?" Louis interrupts Liam.

"Uh,  _Dissendium_. Dunno if it's a spell or not, we'll have to try it -"

"Tonight." Louis says.

"Lou, we can't do it tonight, we've got class tomorrow." Zayn says.

"C'mon, we'll get Niall in on it and have some fun. Break in the first week." Harry says.

"See? Harry knows." Louis says.

"Of course he bloody knows, he'll do anything you ask." Zayn mumbles under his breath.

"What?" Louis asks.

"Nothing, nothing." Zayn says innocently.

Liam laughs, and his eyes crinkle at the sides. "I'm in. Do it, Z, it'll be fun."

Zayn glares at him. Stupid Liam with his adorable little nose and cute smile. He could get expelled if he's caught sneaking around - if he's caught  _helping_  people sneak around past curfew. No one really obeys the curfew rule anymore, it's old and a bit dumb to keep enforcing it, really. Zayn looks over at Louis, who's smiling at him wildly. Zayn sighs loudly.

"Fuck it. Let's do it."

"Perfect." Louis rubs his hands together. "We'll meet on the third floor at midnight, yeah?"

"Fine with me." Harry shrugs.

"Malik! Is that you?!" Zayn hears McGonagall yelling.

 _Fuck_.

"I expected more from a - from a -" McGonagall bursts out laughing, and she morphs back into Perrie.

"Oh, fuck you! You scared the absolute shit out of me, Pez!" Zayn lays a hand over his heart, and Louis and Perrie cackle.

"That was pretty terrifying, I'll admit." Harry says.

"S - sorry, couldn't resist. I came to tell you that Nick's looking for you, Harry." Perrie says. Zayn watches the smile drop from Louis's face.

"Oh. Uh, tell him I'll be back soon." Harry says.

"Right. Cheers, lads!" Perrie heads back for the castle.

Louis sneers. "Might as well go now,  _Nicky_  is waiting."

"Don't start that, Louis." Zayn says quickly. Harry frowns.

"Start what?" Louis raises his eyebrows.

"C'mon, don't be like this, Lou." Harry pleads.

"Don't you have a date?" Louis snaps.

"I was gonna stay here, actually. Figured Grimmy could wait until tomorrow or summat." Harry says, and Zayn can hear a bit of hurt in his voice.

Zayn and Liam don't want to stick around and hear them bicker, so the two of them walk down to the Shrieking Shack and sit on the old fence together. The fence is creaky and old, and it bends under their weight, but neither of them hear it making any telltale signs of breaking. In front of them, a hundred or so yards away, is the Shrieking Shack. Zayn doesn’t know the whole story of why it’s called that, only bits and pieces. As he’s trying to recall those bits and pieces, though, he feels Liam’s eyes on him.

"So, uh, you're really good at Divination, right?" Liam asks.

Zayn shrugs. "It's all crap, but, yeah, I guess."

"D'you, uh, d'you think you could, like, tutor me?" Liam scratches the back of his neck and smiles sheepishly.

"Me? Oh, Ashton's a lot better at it than I am, you should ask him, mate." Zayn says.

"Well, I kinda wanted you to tutor me. If, uh, if that's alright."

"Oh. Yeah, sure. We can meet in the library after classes. I know a little corner with really comfy chairs that we can study in." Zayn tries to keep calm, but he can feel himself blushing hard.

"Thanks." Liam says.

Zayn looks down at his feet, swinging them back and forth. He wonders if Liam would mind if he kissed him. Zayn doesn't, though.  Instead, he looks at the old, dilapidated shack in front of him. Liam's hand nudges his, soft and warm and Zayn hopes against all hope that he'll twine their fingers together.

And he does.

Liam reaches under Zayn's hand and laces their fingers together, and Zayn could fall off the fence. His hand is strong and steady and Zayn is blushing so hard he probably looks like a proper idiot. They rest their hands on the fence, and Zayn has to bite down on his lip to keep from smiling.

"Is, ah, is this okay?" Liam asks.

Zayn wants to laugh. It's so many kinds of okay. "Mhm."

Liam squeezes his hand a little tighter, and he could faint.

After a while, the two of them walk back to the castle hand in hand, passing by the little shops and crowds of witches and wizards in their robes and occasional hat. The wind picks up as they start up the path to Hogwarts, and they're assaulted with hundreds of cherry blossom petals. With a shriek like a banshee, Liam begins batting them away. When they’re safe, each of them laugh until their sides hurt.

They stop at the portrait of Dumbledore, where Liam gives Zayn a smile that’s brighter than all the candles in the Great Hall.

"If you want t' go shower or change or summat, you can come back to my common room after and we can look at your Divination stuff 'till we meet Harry and Lou." Zayn says.

"Sure, yeah. I probably smell like candyfloss and sweat." Liam laughs.

Zayn shrugs. "I probably smell the same, love."

"I, uh, here -" Liam leans forward and presses a kiss to his cheek.

Zayn's eyes widen, and he makes a little noise.

"See you soon." Liam speeds off.

Liam kissed him. Liam actually just kissed him. Zayn feels like he could fucking fly.

Someone nearby chuckles. Zayn turns. Dumbledore is smiling kindly, blue eyes sparkling behind half moon spectacles. Zayn feels his cheeks get hot.

"So he said yes, then?" Dumbledore asks with a smile.

"Yeah. He did." Zayn nods with a dopey smile.

"I'm happy for you. Go on inside, Mr. Malik." Dumbledore says.

"Thanks, sir."

Zayn heads inside, where he's bombarded by Perrie and Jade. Perrie has a sinful smirk on her face as she sits Zayn on the couch.

"What d'you -" They cut him off.

"What happened?"

"Did you kiss?"

"Was there  _tongue_?"

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Or was it all sweet and cute?"

"Ooh, just a chaste kiss on the cheek?"

"Is he as cute as he seems?"

"Did you make him laugh?"

"Shut it!" Zayn laughs.

"Tell us the details, then!" Jade stomps her foot, and Perrie laughs loudly.

"Well, we went to the Three Broomsticks -"

"Did you sit in that couple's booth?" Perrie asks.

"Yeah, and Madam Rosmerta got us a butterbeer -"

"Did you share one, or did you get two?" Jade presses.

"We shared one, and -"

"One or two straws?" Perrie raises her eyebrows.

Zayn wrinkles his nose. "Does it matter?"

"It's very crucial to the nature of this date. Two means just starting out, slow and sweet, and one means I want you in my mouth." Jade says, and Zayn and Perrie burst out laughing.

"Two, there were two," Zayn says through a haze of laughter.

"So you're taking it slow, then." Jade nods. "Good, this is good."

"I don't mean I don't want him in -"

"Don't," Perrie interrupts him, "finish that sentence." Zayn laughs.

"I've got to go change, Liam's coming over so I can tutor him in Divination." He says.

"You hate Divination." Perrie's eyebrows knit together.

"Innit." Zayn says vaguely, and the girls laugh.

"Ashton's better -"

"I told him that, but Li said he wanted me to tutor him." Zayn shrugs, grinning.

"How adorable." Perrie rolls her eyes. "Go change, then. What're you wearing?"

"None of your business, Pez." Zayn smirks, sauntering upstairs to his dorm.

After he’s put on a pair of jeans and a red long-sleeved shirt, Zayn flops on the couch with Perrie and Jade to wait. By the time Liam arrives, Zayn has bitten his fingernails into blunt stumps. He spent the entire time waiting thinking Liam wasn’t going to come, muttering “how could I have been such a knob” over and over until Perrie and Jade had to yell at him to stop. Liam is waiting outside the common room wearing a pair of grey trackies and a blue shirt, with his Divination book tucked under his arm.

"Did you bring your stuff?" Zayn asks, sitting at the desk. " _Accio_   _chair_!" The chair from the other desk floats over and lands next to Zayn's.

"Yeah," Liam holds up his bag. "Got it all."

"You should know, before we do this, that I fucking hate Divination." Zayn grins, and Liam laughs.

They spend the next hour going over crystal ball theory, and Zayn tries to explain the Sight to Liam. He doesn't really get it. If he’s being totally truthful, Zayn doesn’t really understand it either. Trelawney isn’t a very good teacher or Seer, it turns out. As Zayn reads over a passage in his book, he notices Liam staring at him.

"What? My hair's weird, isn't it? I knew bright blue didn't work -"

"You're, like, really pretty." Liam blurts out.

Zayn's eyes widen, and he feels himself flush.

He bites his lip. "So 're you."

"I, uh, thanks." Liam says.

"So, you like the blue?" Zayn asks after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, I like it dark blue too." As soon as Liam says it Zayn changes his hair navy blue, and Liam laughs.

"Something funny?" Zayn asks innocently.

"Nope, I wasn't laughing." Liam says.

A silvery fox bursts through the wall and says in Louis's pissed off voice, "What the  _bloody_  hell is the password? I've got to wee and Dumbledore's asleep."

Zayn and Liam laugh, and Zayn walks over to the portrait hole and opens it. Louis pushes inside, followed shortly by Harry. Louis hurries for the toilet, and the other three laugh at him.

"Why're you so early?" Zayn asks, leaning on the armrest of one of the chairs.

"Lou had to pee, so we came here." Harry says with a shrug.

"Instead of using your bathroom." Zayn nods.

"We were heading back from Hogsmeade." Harry explains.

"Mhm. And, instead of, like, I don't know, going down to the Slytherin common room, you came up to the sixth floor to use my loo? I'm touched." Zayn deadpans.

"I guess so. Lou said we should come and plan what we're gonna go." Harry says.

"Does Niall know?" Liam asks.

"Oh, shit, I forgot to tell him. Here." Harry slips his wand out of his sleeve. " _Expecto_   _Patronum_!" A shimmering blob bursts out of the tip of his wand.

"Is that it?" Zayn raises an eyebrow.

"I have trouble with it sometimes, okay?!" Harry blushes pink. "Fuck." He lowers his wand, and the blob disappears.

"I got it." Liam says. " _Expecto_   _Patronum_!" A large, fearsome lion steps out of the tip of Liam's wand. "Ni, come up to Zayn's common room on the sixth floor. Send us a Patronus when you're here, and we'll let you in and tell you the password."

The lion bounds towards the portrait hole door, and jumps through it. Funny, Zayn thinks. His Patronus is a large dog and Liam's is a large cat.

"That's why I need Lou to teach me to make a corporeal Patronus all the time, but he's going out with Aiden tomorrow." Harry's upper lip curls. "Louis is great, really, but he gets so -"

"I get so what, Harold?"

Zayn looks up. Louis is standing at the top of Zayn's staircase, looking mildly satisfied that they were discussing him and also very curious. There’s a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

"Uh, excited about everything, is what I was saying." Harry lies.

Louis walks over to them. "And that's a bad thing?" 

"No, I was just saying." Harry shrugs.

Louis narrows his eyes and looks over at the couch. "Mm. Perrie! Why're you listening to us? 'spect Liam and Zayn to start snogging right in front of you, yeah?  _Accio Extendable Ear_!"

A long, flesh-colored string with an ear on the end flies out from behind the couch and into Louis's outstretched hand. Perrie stands, her bright pink hair tossed messily over her shoulders. She laughs, and the boys glare at her.

"What does Niall need to know about?" Perrie asks, sauntering over to the boys and sitting on the armchair opposite Zayn.

"Nothing  _you_  need to know about." Louis winks at her, and Harry giggles.

Perrie twirls her hair around her finger innocently. "I s’pose, that being Head Girl, I should probably tell McGonagall about how you snuck out to Hogsmeade..."

"Some lady named Ginny told us about a secret passage on the third floor that leads to the Honeydukes cellar." Harry says quickly.

"How'd she know that?" Perrie says thoughtfully. "Ginny... I know that name. Of course! Ginny Weasley! Er, it's Potter now, but she must've seen the Marauder's Map a million times!"

Liam raises an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Does he really not know?" Perrie wrinkles her nose.

"Harry Potter's Ginny?" Louis asks.

"Uh, red hair?" Zayn cocks his head.

"Yeah, that's her. I met her at Dervish and Banges once." Perrie says.

"What's the Marauder's Map?" Harry asks.

"It's like, this magical map that Harry Potter's father and his three friends made, and it shows the entire castle and all the secret passageways, and when you look at it, you can see everyone in school and at Hogsmeade. Well, that's what I've heard." Perrie says.

"Where is it?" Liam asks.

"The map?" Perrie raises her eyebrows. "Nobody knows. Not even Potter."

"Stop that." Louis hisses. Harry has been tickling him.

"Merlin, what're you two doing?" Zayn rolls his eyes as Niall's voice fills the room.

"Lemme in!" A silvery otter is swimming towards them through the air, spinning around.

"Shush up Niall, here we come." Zayn says, walking towards the door. "Professor, open up please." The portrait door swings open, and Niall walks in, looking confused.

"Hello, boys." Dumbledore says as the door opens. "Goodbye, boys." He says as it closes. Zayn laughs.

"What d'you need?" Niall asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Perrie, get out." Louis says.

"How nice of you." Perrie says huffily, walking out through the portrait hole.

"Right, so, long story, but we've found a secret passage into Hogsmeade." Liam says.

"No way! Where's it at?" Niall asks, grinning.

"By the ugly witch statue on the third floor. 've got to say Dissendium and it'll, like, slide away or summat." Zayn says.

"Let's go now! Sun's down, no one'll know, let's fucking go!" Niall says excitedly.

"I'm up for it." Zayn shrugs, and the boys nod. "Let's go." He shrugs.

The five of them walk down to the third floor, where they each split up to find the one-eyed witch statue. Harry and Louis find it, and Louis sends a Patronus to tell them where it is. Zayn, Liam, and Niall meet them there. It’s a large, marble statue right next to a classroom door.

" _Dissendium_!" Louis hisses.

The hump on the witch's statue opens, and the boys stare at it. They nod at each other, and Zayn climbs inside. Wordlessly, he pushes inside, where he finds himself inside a slide of sorts. He pushes off, and slides down for a few seconds. He lands on the ground on his bum. He takes out his wand; it's pitch black.

" _Lumos_!" A lemony-yellow light shines from Zayn's wand, and he looks around. He's inside a tunnel, with dirt floor and dark walls made from crudely carved rock. If he reaches up, Zayn can feel the ceiling. He walks over to the slide and calls up, "It's safe! Come down!"

Louis comes first, then Liam, then Harry. To be quicker, the boys agree that Zayn should go ahead as a wolf and check that it leads to where Ginny said it would (and also to be sure that it’s safe).

Zayn takes a deep breath, clearing his head and closing his eyes. A warm, fuzzy feeling overcomes him, and soon he can hear and smell everything around him. He opens his eyes, and he's at waist-level of the other boys.

He butts up against Liam's leg, then trots away from the boys and down the tunnel. He starts running quicker, chasing the tunnel itself. It takes about a half an hour to reach the end, where Zayn he can see a tile to lift up and he can smell all sorts of sweets.

He Changes back to himself, shivering at the familiar feeling. He pulls his wand out, casts his Patronus, and sends the boys a message that it's safe, and that he'll meet them halfway.

He Changes again, and bounds back towards the boys. After around fifteen minutes, he can hear them talking and laughing, and he can see the lights of their wands.

Usually, Zayn tries to keep the Changing to a minimum, because it makes him feel a bit fuzzy in the head, but he doesn't mind Changing back to himself once more. He rolls his shoulders and shakes out his leg, yawning.

"Hi puppy," Liam coos.

"Shove off." Zayn whacks his arm. "It was a half hour for me, and we're halfway now, so it's about another half-hour out."

"Your maths hurt me." Louis cringes.

The boys reach the end of the tunnel, and Harry lifts the tile and moves it aside. He climbs up, and the other four lads follow him. Zayn looks around. There are large sweet-smelling boxes all over, and he's sure they're filled with delectable candies. A staircase leads upstairs; Louis looks at it and cocks his head.

"Do it." Niall whispers.

"Wait." Zayn says.

Zayn's seen the owner of Honeydukes a few times before. He's an old man, with a toothy smile and kind, dark eyes. Zayn pictures him in his head, and feels the Change take over.

"Ew." Niall wrinkles his nose.

"I'll go first." Zayn says.

"Why does he get to go first?" Louis complains.

Zayn creeps upstairs, into the now dark and empty sweet shop. No one's in there, so he Changes back to himself and whistles for the boys. They come upstairs quickly, and the five of them explore Hogsmeade after dark together.

xxx

Louis thinks this was a stupid idea.

He knows it was his idea in the first place, but still. Hogsmeade kind of sucks without everyone in it. They can't exactly break into the Three Broomsticks and steal butterbeers, then they'd lose all the fun of messing about with Madam Rosmerta.

He looks over at Zayn, who's laughing at something Niall just said as they passed by Dervish and Banges. Harry throws an arm around his shoulders, and Louis leans into his side.

"Where're you going, Niall?" Louis hisses. Niall is heading for the Shrieking shack.

"C'mon! It'll be funny!" Niall waves them over.

"It's supposed to be haunted." Harry says slowly.

"Scared, Harry?" Zayn taunts.

"Dunno, guys. This is a bit dodgy, honestly." Louis says.

Niall groans. "C'mon! I'm going, whether you guys go or not."

Reluctantly, Louis and Harry follow Liam, Zayn, and Niall over to the old house. Niall kicks the door open, and the five of them creep inside. They light their wands, and Louis sees that old, dusty, somewhat destroyed pieces of furniture litter the foyer. There seem to be scratches and bite marks on everything... Louis shivers. Chills overtake him, and he can't get warm again.

"Ha - Harry, are you as cold as I am right now?" Louis asks, leaning in closer to him.

Harry nods slowly. The hairs on the back of Louis's neck stand up, and he's covered in goosebumps.

Zayn, Liam, and Niall have continued upstairs, and Louis and Harry are left alone in the corridor.

Louis can hear - no, he can  _feel_  something behind him. A sudden wave of despair washes over him. He hears a sound like a rattling breath, trying to suck more than air out of the room.

"Harry," Louis whispers, "there's something moving behind us. Turn around real slow."

They turn.

Floating about six feet away from them is a tall, hooded dementor.

It's black cloak is tattered, and ripped up, and Louis can't see what it's hiding under its hood. A decayed, grey hand reached out towards Louis, and he scrambles for his wand. Louis points his wand at the dementor as it gets closer and thinks of the happiest memory he has; he's being lifted onto a seventh year's shoulders, hoisting the Quidditch Cup into the air, a permanent smile etched onto his young face.

" _Expecto_   _Patronum_!" Louis yells.

A pearly fox surges out of the tip of Louis's wand, and it bounds towards the dementor. Louis's patronus chases the dementor out of the house, then returns to the corridor, where it fades into the musty air.

Louis is cold. He's so cold.

Louis stumbles back, and Harry catches him. Seconds later, Liam, Zayn, and Niall run back downstairs, looking concerned. He’s so, so unbearably cold.

"What the fuck just happened?" Zayn yells quickly.

"A d - dementor was here." Harry says.Liam raises an eyebrow.

"We need to go back to Honeydukes," Louis says quietly. "I need chocolate quick."

"I'll run back and get it, you guys start for Honeydukes." Zayn says.

Louis buries his head in Harry's chest as a feral snarl rips through Zayn's chest as he Changes. Harry holds him close, and he looks up as he hears the wolf in front of him whimper. Rolling his eyes, Louis wiggles out of Harry's grip to scratch between his ears. Zayn whimpers again, then he's off, out the door and up the path back to Hogsmeade.

"Can we get out of here? This place doesn't seem so fun anymore." Niall says.

"Yeah, c'mon." Liam nods.

Louis leans back into Harry's side, and they start for the door.

Zayn comes back forty five minutes later, as they approach Honeydukes. He's himself again. There's a huge chocolate bar in his hand; he holds it out to Louis. He breaks off a piece and hands it to Niall.

"Thanks, Z." Louis takes a bite, and warmth spreads all the way to his fingers and toes. " _Aaaaah_ ," He sighs.

The other boys each have a bite, and, wordlessly, they head back inside Honeydukes, where Zayn leaves eight sickles on the floor as payment for the chocolate he stole. The five of them climb back into the tunnel, and walk back to the castle without exchanging more than a few words.

Back inside the castle, Zayn Transfigures the furniture in his common room into a bed for Harry and Louis, and one for Niall. Louis heads into the shower first, where cold water washes away the clamminess he felt earlier.

Treading soundlessly back into the common room, Louis pulls on a jumper, and Harry grabs his hips and pulls him into his warm embrace, and he falls asleep to the soft sound of Harry's breathing and the thought of those awful dementors.


End file.
